Skip to main content

How long does it take to REALLY see results with networking.

I had a friend come to one of my networking groups today, only to tell us that she's changing positions at work and will no longer be networking in her new position. Her logic was that she's been doing this for almost 18 months, spent a lot of money doing her various networking activities and she's only just started to see the results coming in. Ugghh... So frustrating because if she could only hang in there, I think she'd see the pay off. However, I'm not in her financial shoes, so I can't make her decisions.

Here's the thing about networking. You can't give up! I hear about people giving up all the time.

We live in a world of instant gratification and that's just not how networking works.

Building relationships takes time. Be yourself, get to know people and build those relationships.

I also believe you need to stay in a networking group for longer than a couple of months. I don't understand why people change their networking groups every 2-6 months. I can see moving on if your not getting any referrals and/or you haven't built any strong relationships. However many people just flit from group to group. And honestly only giving a group 2, 6, or 12 months isn't enough time to know see the results you're looking for. Now that I've networked with my groups for 2+ years, there is no question that I am their insurance agent and the only one they'll refer others to. The time I've spent getting to know them, has made us loyal friends.

I started networking in January of 2014. I got referrals all throughout, maybe 10 per month. By January of 2016 my referrals became a constant flow and have only picked up as the months go by. Networking works, just don't give up.

If your in a place where you're trying to figure out whether networking is working for you or whether or not you should quit, feel free to comment below and I will give you my honest feedback.

If you're looking for more information on networking. Check out my blog post from April, "The Ins and Outs of Networking." Winging it! : The Ins and Outs of Networking

Until next time...

MW
Copyright 2016

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Ins and Outs of Networking

I thought I'd talk about networking for those who are just starting out in their networking journey. And maybe, just maybe, someone who's a pro, will learn something or get a new idea. When you start out on your journey of networking, you're not sure what you're going to find. If you're like me, you're a little intimidated by everyone. They all seem so put together, so confident. It feels like everyone knows everyone else and you don't know anyone! You might sit there thinking "What the heck am I doing here?" But guess what? What you're feeling is 100% normal. And guess what else? We all felt the same way when we started networking. Because I'm one of those people who remembers feeling that way, I make it a point to go out of my way to talk to newbies, show them around, introduce them to others, give them networking advice. It's funny because the very first networking group I ever attended is the one that I'm currently the ...
Post a Comment
Read more

How would self discipline benefit you?

Picture your life a year from now if you actually accomplished the things on your list. How would this benefit your life? Seriously, just stop, close your eyes and imagine a year from now. For the past year you have ______. (Fill in the blank with something from your list.) # selfdiscipline # livingyourbestlife # lovingyourlife # happiness # workhard # besuccessful
Post a Comment
Read more

2016 Business Plan Ideas - Part 2

Here it is the first Monday of 2016. This morning at my networking group, we discussed what is your greatest need this year: Help me, Help you! We weren't talking about referrals or new clients - because the bottom line is that's something we all need. However, the overall consensus was that just about everyone wanted to get more organized and wanted advice on how to do that. Of course, this brought me back to my business plans for 2016. Time Block scheduling. I've tried unsuccessfully to set my calendar this way. I'll pick dates that I'm going to do a certain task and somehow they don't get done at that time. They'll usually get done that day - but the time varies based on what's going on in my day. I'm not quite sure how people stick to the time they say they're going to do something. If I walk into my office and have clients needing me, they're going to come before anything else. However, in thinking about this. I do like the idea of givi...
Post a Comment
Read more