standing in line

In today’s world, almost everything we do can be seen as networking. Every single person we bump into can have a hand in creating more business for us, yet I still see people at every form of networking event I go to do it wrong. I really want to help them and I think it can be summed up with the topic of this blog, “Standing in line.”

Networking really isn’t that hard. Most of us know how to do it, and most of us hate doing it. You probably hate it because you really don’t have a game plan for the entire process of networking. You see, to me, networking has nothing to do with getting you business, it has everything to do with getting in the line.

There is no way someone is going to start to recommend your business after meeting them for the very first time. With the proper follow up, though, you will have at least “gotten in line.” In my mind, being in line is just about as good as it gets.

You see, when you get in line, you may be the 6th person they know who does what you do. So there really is no chance of work anytime soon but there is a chance to get to know that person, to get to know their business and to have the chance to get them to know you a little better. Hopefully, with the right attention, you will move up in line.

Some lines won’t move at all, some lines will be short, others really long. The name of the game is to at least get in some lines. Start the process of learning more about the people you meet at networking events. From there, you will start to see yourself moving towards the front of the lines you’ve been standing in.