Making networking to find new opportunities !
We don´t know what networking can produce in you: fear, stress, excitment or enthusiasm… but we are sure that making networking can produce new opportunities for you and your company. This is great, isn´t it?
What is networking?
¿Networking? Surely you have listened about this word, but if you haven´t, let me tell you that networking is the action or process to conect with others in order to exchange information and create a base of contacts for you profesional or social life.
Why it is important?
At the profesional environment, networking can be useful for:
To identify corporate allies that help to develop projects with more impact.
To know trendsabout your sector or industry.
To identify potencial clients in order to offer them services or products of your company.
To know professionals and companies that can solve a challenge or problem thay you have in the company.
Exchange services.
To find employment opportunities.
To know professionals with potencial to be invited to collaborate with your project or company.
To give visibility to your company, brand or as a professional.
To identify new opportunities of growing.
It is an interesting list of benefits from making networking, as long as we make it in a good way. In other words: if you are going to make networking just thinking about selling something or being nice just to get something from someone, maybe this is not your place or moment to make connections, because networking is about connecting people in “a real and human way”.
You should create realtionships based on respect and trust, exchanging useful, real and honest information that can add value to the other person. This information exchanging can help us to identify profesional profiles, business, organizations and opportunities for both sides.
Where?
Where we can make networking? This is something like: in which places we can connect with other people? An the answer is: There are a lot of places!
Local, national and internationals events and congress. (Have a look of this agenda: https://mundobiotec.com/agenda-completa/ )
In Biointropic we are preparing an event in Colombia about natural ingredients, cosmetics, food and agro. We are not sure about the date (2023 or the beginning of 2024), but if you are interested in knowing more about this event, please, fill this form: link.
Business breakfasts and celebrations. A meeting to celebrate the ending of the year or a breakfast to know the new projects of a company allied, all this kind of meetings can be the perfect moment to make networking in a relax way.
A cup of coffee or a lunch! Organize relaxing meetings to talk with coleagues, partners, clients, potencial clients or other professionals and find out what is happening with their lives, hobbies and other interests. A lots of ideas of projects have been created in a simple conversation in a coffee shop or a restaurant.
Conferences and talks about your sector or similars sectors. Usually, medium and high level professionals attend to conferences and talks about special topics with important speakers. So you can make networking
Private specialized networking events. There are clusters, communities and companies that make this kind of events in a private way. Identify this kind of organizations in your city and sector.
Online platforms. There are a lot of online platforms where you can make networking. One of this ones is Linkedin. Unpdate your profile, explore and identify opportunities that maybe you haven´t seen them before.
Note : please, organice a plan and be selective about activities and places to make networking, in order to focus on that really is important for your objectives. And remember! professionals relationships needs time to grow.
Do I need to be prepared in order to take advantage of networking activity?
Yes, of course! If you are prepared to this activity you could get your objetive/objectives. These are some recommendations:
Be clear about your role and what your company does. It appears obvious, but sometimes you have few minutes to give that information and It is a pitty when the professional is not clear about it. So take your time to prepare this information in a clear way.
What value does your company add? Ask yourself: what is the benefit for the other person or company? The person who is listening to you isn´t interested about your company, he or she is interested about what this company can make for them and to them.That is the question.
Prepare a speech short, simple and useful for the other professionals (prepare your elevator pitch). Use the information and answers that you have from point #1 and #2.
Prepare your contact details. Even if you are still ussing business cards on paper or if you are ussing digital business card, be sure to have this one with you to give your contact details in a simple way. By the way, there are eco raw materials to elaborate business cards.
Be informed about the event or activity. Type of activity, profile of participants (professionals and companies) and other information that can help you to make better connections and to prepare a speech.
Have a goal. ¿What do you want to obtain from that activity of networking? Be clear and have an objective with SMART formule: it has to be and Specific objective, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time bound.
Dare to connect people! And create new opportunities for you and your Company.
(Full article in spanish: https://mundobiotec.com/hacer-networking-en-el-ecosistema-bio/)