Chapter 1: It’s Who You Know
When it comes to virtual networking, you need to focus on the relationships that you want to form. It is all about who you know. There is a lot of give and take that comes within this kind of networking and you may need to focus on some different rules that you will need to follow along the way to make sure that you are able to do things properly online. But it is really about the relationships that you form.
The more people you know in the right places, the easier networking will be. You can call on those connections later on, and they will be able to call on you later on if they need to. With the shift of many workers going from in-person work to remote work, traditional ways of building up a network is going out the window. Because of this, the culture of many companies is changing as well and the individuals and leaders will need to find some of the best ways to communicate and maintain the relationships that they need along the way.
Proper communication is going to be important when it comes to making the right connections. Think about how you can communicate in a thorough and thoughtful manner. Learn how to do active listening, and show that you care. Finding ways in your business endeavors to gather virtually can make it easier for everyone to work on building up some of the networks that they would like along the way.
As you start to work through your new networking ideas, whether you are a remote worker or not, you will need to think about who you already know and how you can utilize some of those different connections along the way. Everyone already has some connections that they are able to utilize, whether they realize it or not. And the connections do not always need to eb the people that you know from work or in your own industry.
Think about the people you went to school with. Have you maintain some of those relationships over the years and can utilize them now to bring in more clients or more customers or to help with a job? Is there a professor who has some good connections that they could introduce you to along the way?
What about one of your friends? They may not be a professional connection, but many of the friends you have maintained through the years may also have some connections that you can utilize as well. Or even colleagues from some of the past jobs. You can even look to different family members and some of the people that they know to see if there are some valuable connections that will serve you well over the years.
Keep in mind that you will need to focus on forming relationships. These people are not just there to serve you and then go away. You need to form a relationship and maintain it. It could be years of maintaining that relationship before you are able to utilize it. But you will be glad when you do need it.
There is also a lot of give and take in these relationships. There are times when you will be able to call on some of your connections for a favor or to help, and there are times when they will need to call on you for help. This is part of the networking process and will benefit both parties along the way. Be prepared to step in and help out when you can, even when you do virtual networking.
The goal is to build up some good relationships that will serve both parties well through the years. Virtual networking makes it possible to do this, even when you work remotely or when you do not spend as much time in the office as other coworkers. With a bit of help and some of the steps that we will talk about through this guidebook, you will see how efficient and successful virtual networking can be and how it is part of the future for most people who are looking to network from home or out of the office.