I was looking through my small library in my office over the holidays and stumbled on Harvey Mackay's book," Dig Your Well Before You're Thirsty." Mackay is the former CEO of an envelope company, but the MackayI know is an author who can motivate and illustrate the "why's" and "how's" of networking. Some of you may know him by his first bestseller, "Swimming With Sharks."
I want to share a few of Mackay's maxims with you about networking:
–Like any other behavior, the more you practice the skills of networking, the easier it gets.
–Up the proverbial creek? If you have got a network, you have always got a paddle.
–No matter how smart you are, no matter how talented, you can not do it alone.
–Networking my not be rocket science, but studies prove it works for rocket scientists.
–Your car just gets you to work. Your network can determine whether or not you have got work to get to.
–It does matter how a person remembers you, but it is more important that they do remember you.
–The more you exercise your networking muscles, the stronger they get, and the easier networking becomes.
–A network provides a path, a way of getting from point A to point B in the shortest possible time over the least possible distance.
–The really big networking mistakes people make in their lives come from the risks they never take.
–People are not strangers if you have already met them. The trick is to meet them before you need their help.
–Rule #1: Listen to your boss. Rule #2: Know whom your boss listens to.
–One reason that people are afraid to network is that they do not want to hear the word "no." But "no" is the second-best answer there is. At least you know where you stand.
–Be a differentiator. Do not get lost in the crowd. Instead of sending as Christmas card, send a Thanksgiving card instead. Your card will likely be the first holiday impression a person gets.
–If people keep saying, "Tell me your name again," either (a) you mumble or (b) your are not doing enough to make an impression.
–There are no dead-end jobs. There are only dead-end people. If you build a network, you will have a bridge to wherever you want to go.
–Networking is not a numbers game. The idea is not see how many people you can meet; the idea is to compile a list of people you can count on.
–Never pass up an opportunity to meet new people. Your antennae should be up your whole life
–Networking is like sports. Even a small infraction can cost you the game.
–It takes years to become an overnight success.
–The wise person is not the one who makes the fewest mistakes. It is the one who learns the most from them.
–Two things people never forget: Those who were caring to them when they we at a low point, and those who were not. Elevators go up and down.
–Do not worry that your customers are not being properly recognized. If you are not doing it, you can bet your competitor is.
–I do not know what I will be doing a year from now, but whatever it is undoubtedly will be based on the contacts I made today.
These are just a handful of Mackay's magic words. Buy the book and see how networking really is the best course of lead generation and making your contact list the best it can be.
I want to share a few of Mackay's maxims with you about networking:
–Like any other behavior, the more you practice the skills of networking, the easier it gets.
–Up the proverbial creek? If you have got a network, you have always got a paddle.
–No matter how smart you are, no matter how talented, you can not do it alone.
–Networking my not be rocket science, but studies prove it works for rocket scientists.
–Your car just gets you to work. Your network can determine whether or not you have got work to get to.
–It does matter how a person remembers you, but it is more important that they do remember you.
–The more you exercise your networking muscles, the stronger they get, and the easier networking becomes.
–A network provides a path, a way of getting from point A to point B in the shortest possible time over the least possible distance.
–The really big networking mistakes people make in their lives come from the risks they never take.
–People are not strangers if you have already met them. The trick is to meet them before you need their help.
–Rule #1: Listen to your boss. Rule #2: Know whom your boss listens to.
–One reason that people are afraid to network is that they do not want to hear the word "no." But "no" is the second-best answer there is. At least you know where you stand.
–Be a differentiator. Do not get lost in the crowd. Instead of sending as Christmas card, send a Thanksgiving card instead. Your card will likely be the first holiday impression a person gets.
–If people keep saying, "Tell me your name again," either (a) you mumble or (b) your are not doing enough to make an impression.
–There are no dead-end jobs. There are only dead-end people. If you build a network, you will have a bridge to wherever you want to go.
–Networking is not a numbers game. The idea is not see how many people you can meet; the idea is to compile a list of people you can count on.
–Never pass up an opportunity to meet new people. Your antennae should be up your whole life
–Networking is like sports. Even a small infraction can cost you the game.
–It takes years to become an overnight success.
–The wise person is not the one who makes the fewest mistakes. It is the one who learns the most from them.
–Two things people never forget: Those who were caring to them when they we at a low point, and those who were not. Elevators go up and down.
–Do not worry that your customers are not being properly recognized. If you are not doing it, you can bet your competitor is.
–I do not know what I will be doing a year from now, but whatever it is undoubtedly will be based on the contacts I made today.
These are just a handful of Mackay's magic words. Buy the book and see how networking really is the best course of lead generation and making your contact list the best it can be.