“Networking has been cited as the number one unwritten rule of success in business. Who you know really impacts what you know.” This quote by Sally Krawcheck was mentioned in the presentation “The Art of Networking” done by Alice Leah of Finfind.
Leah is the operations manager at Finfind, an online aggregator of funders and funding solution offering access to finance for small businesses. Recently, she did her presentation on networking advice for entrepreneurs at the Durban Business Fair.
We listed our favourite tips and her quotes on networking from Leah’s presentation.
1. Focus on the right people
“Your network is the people who want to help you, and you want to help them, and that’s really powerful.” – Reid Hoffman
2. Create win-win situations
“Networking is more about farming than it is about hunting.” – Ivan Misner
3. Give before you receive
“The value of networking is not measured by the number of people we meet, but by the number of people we introduce to others.” – Simon Sinek
4. Become an information broker
“Networking is not collecting contacts. It is about planting relations.” – Mishaat
5. Remember to reconnect often
“Position yourself as a centre of influence, the one who knows the movers and shakers.” – Bob Burg
6. Join networking groups and sport clubs
“If you want to go somewhere, it is best to find someone who has already been there.”- Robert Kiyosaki
7. Enhance communication skills
“Be yourself. Everyone else is taken.” – Oscar Wilde
8. Enter business competitions
“You never get a second chance to make a good first impression.” – Anonymous
9. Believe in yourself
“People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But they will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou
