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| Lu Anne Gafford Vice President - Bankers Trust Clive |
Networking is a word that may have different meanings to
different people. For me it is an essential
element to help develop my business AND personal relationships. Notice I said personal too? Many keep their business and personal so
separated, and I do too to a certain extent.
I have developed quite a few friendships from my networking and that to
me is worth something that you can’t place a price tag on like you can with a
business relationship. My friendships
have also led to several new business relationships too. The reason I believe is because I have proved
to the individuals who are the decision makers that I am someone they can trust
and that can speak volumes in these days we live in.
Networking isn't meant to be a situation where you gather as
many business cards as you can at an event and leave it at that. It is meant to develop a relationship to gain
business. But before you can gain the
business of a prospect, you have to gain their respect. Respect in how you behave, how you respond to
follow after an event, in the integrity of your business and if they do decide
to do business with you, how well you follow through on your delivery of your
service or product. You may have a great
company you work for or one that has had some struggles, but if you yourself do
not have integrity then you may not ever have a chance at securing that
relationship or worse yet you may lose a client because of your lack
thereof.
I think it is great to see the Des Moines area business
community offering a Young Professionals organization. It is a great outlet for all to learn from
one another at what may be a successful process or what hasn't worked so
well. It is a great learning environment
and I am jealous that I was not afforded the same opportunity in my beginning
networking days. I challenge each of you
to make the most of the different events and opportunities that your Board
arranges. Go to these events and try to
connect with three new individuals. Don’t
always go looking for the same familiar faces and stay right by their
side. Find new faces to connect
with. Get to know them, I mean really
know them. Ask questions of their personal
background, hobbies, families etc. Try
to connect with them. Remember, they are
a person first and the face of the business second. I also want to encourage everyone to get
involved with an organization that has all ages involved too. This is where you can learn from someone who
has had many successes and failures in networking world. You cannot expect to have all good all of the
time. In fact, it is through the
failures I think that we all learn the most from. I know I have had my share of experiences and
I think these situations have helped to develop and form me into a better
networker. Try to get to know someone
who has networked for a while. Ask them
to share their secrets or successes. Maybe
they would be willing to mentor you. I
have done a little this and I have placed my own spin on some of the examples I
have gained from these conversations. We
are all unique, but we have the same desire to belong or be connected, so get
out there and network and I’ll see you around at a future event. Come introduce yourself to me and let’s get
to know one another.
Happy networking and I look forward to meeting you at future
events.
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