“It’s not what you know, it’s who you know,” they say, and we at YES! Your Human Resources Solution don’t always like to admit it, but “they” are right.  In the professional world, the latest buzzword is always “network, network, network.”   That’s because when done properly, networking comes with an endless string of positive results.  Networking can open the door to future career opportunities.  It can earn you new clients and help you retain existing ones.  It can even help you stay on top of industry news and trends.  So trust us when we say networking is something you want to do effectively.

But not everyone is a natural-born networker.  You might be sabotaging your networking attempts without even realizing it.  Taking a good look at your current business relationships can tell you something about your networking skills and how you might work to improve them.

You might be committing our top networking no-nos if your business relationships are…

• All about you.  No healthy personal relationship is one-sided, and the same goes for a strong business relationship.  We all have that friend or family member we only hear from when they need something—the one who makes us cringe when their Facebook photo pops up on our iPhone.  We think, “Oh great.  What does he want this time?”  In networking, it is your goal to not be this person.  You want people to smile (or at least think positive thoughts) when they see a call or an email from you.  Start on the road to smiles by showing the other person that they’re important to you.  Actively engage them with questions about themselves and their work.  Once you get to know them a bit, you can suggest ways you can be valuable to them, via your skills or knowledge.  You can think of this step like a job interview: the “hiring” party will be more interested in a relationship with you if you’re able to show that you’re interested in being there, and that you have something valuable to offer.
• A one-time thing.  Whether you meet someone at a job interview or a benefit gala, that business relationship is not going to flourish on its own.  Give it a nudge by sending a quick follow-up contact, such as an email or a thank-you note, to remind that person who you are and what you can bring to the table.  (Remember, this person probably saw a lot of new faces other than yours.)  A good place to start is a phrase like, “I was so glad to meet you at the gala,” or, “Thank you for interviewing me for the HR Assistant position.”  To make yourself stand out, include something specific that you talked about when you met, such as the baseball team you both support, or the idea you have for strengthening sales.
• Too superficial.  In the same way you send a follow-up contact to make yourself stand out to others, you want to make sure the people you’re meeting are standing out to you.  Networking doesn’t mean putting your business card in the hands of every person at the benefit gala—choose a few people that you were able to start a meaningful conversation with, where a follow-up message would seem appropriate.  Focusing on a handful of people also allows you to get a better understanding of what they do and how you might be able to help each other.  Remember, you’re going for mutually beneficial business relationships here, not lobbying for homecoming queen.  You’ll be better off beginning one potentially strong relationship than ten shallow ones, so take your time, be selective, and really put effort into the people you choose for your network.
• Mostly online.  Superficial relationships often result from (and are perpetuated by) an over-reliance on online tools.  After all, how many of your 500 Facebook friends are more than casual acquaintances?  It will not help your networking efforts to add someone to your LinkedIn profile and then forget about them.  Even an email here or there will probably not be enough to really solidify a business relationship.  So pick up the phone and have a chat!  Go out for coffee or lunch.  These real-time encounters will allow the conversation to flow more readily, without the pressures of a strict business environment.  And don’t stop at just one coffee meeting—be sure to meet up again down the line to keep the relationship going!

If you’ve been committing any of these networking no-nos, don’t worry!  Now that you know what pesky problems have been sabotaging your networking attempts, you can work on shifting your energy to help you form more meaningful business relationships.