How to Increase Your Sales Success Through Networking

I gave a presentation this week on the east coast at an event that a very successful entrepreneur hosted. Before I went on stage I watched this gentleman work the ballroom, greeting people with hugs and a warm smile, as if greeting a room of his closest friends. It was incredibly powerful.

I write this as a convicted introvert. I’m just not great at working a room. I’ve always felt (or at least told myself the story) that some people just have it, while others (like me) don’t.

At lunch after the event a friend gave me some insight that changed my thinking. He said, “Bob wasn’t just working the room; he was renewing relationships. He knew everyone in the ballroom by name. It’s not about networking to grow his business; it’s about connecting with friends.”

I admit to my own stinkin’ thinkin’ on this one. In situations like this I tend to gravitate to those people I already know, and with whom I am already comfortable.

What a mistake. A serious mistake.

The best perspective I’ve ever heard on the subject is to think about how you approach networking: palms up or palms down? The mental picture suggests that when we approach such situations with our palms up we are in a take mode; with our palms down we are in a give mode.

The secret to effective networking is to give without expectation to receive. Bob was not just renewing relationships; he was pouring himself into the hearts and lives of those in attendance.

What about you? Do you network with a goal of increasing business? Or do you intend to enrich the lives of others while networking.

Hold me accountable to this, my friends. This is precisely my goal.

What is your goal?