Your Net Worth Depends on Your Network by Oma Edoja

Part One

It doesn’t seem fair that some people have more contacts than others. While the rest of us slowly sweat our way up the corporate/social/business ladder, The Connected Ones reach out effortlessly within their networks and get a leg-up from their friends. This reminds me of the old song that says, “I get by with a little help from my friends.”
Not fair, is it? But then, many things in life just aren’t. Did mama ever tell you there’d be things like this?

I’ve been reading a lot on self-help lately, and I’ve fallen in love with the word “proactive.” It means to take action and bring about what you want. It’s the opposite of “reactive,” which means: to wait around for what you want, and respond negatively when it doesn’t happen.

Being proactive involves accepting responsibility for what you have, or do not have (e.g. a network of influential friends), and taking the necessary steps to change the situation in your favour. A reactive person on the other hand would bemoan his lack of contacts, and probably be spiteful to those who have them. He would blame his parents for not passing on a high-powered circle of friends, the government for the poor economy that has kept himself and his “network” outside the action, and his enemies for jinxing him!

Well, I have learnt from the self-help gurus that this problem can be solved more effectivel, through the process of proactive networking. Networking is a system of meeting people, forming groups,
exchanging information and ideas within these groups, all with the view to enhancing your career/business/social life. It involves giving and receiving business, sharing ideas, contacts and referrals, and providing the environment for developing personal relationships with others who share your interests.

Rather than gripe about your lack of an influential network, or the “doomed state” of the nation, why not get proactive and build one for yourself? Yes, I am talking to you. And yes, you can do it, regardless of your station in life. Nigeria is a wonderful place for networking, given our native tendency to do so (family meetings, owambe parties, anniversaries of everything under the sun). And being proactive is the way to change your fortune yourself. No one will do it for you. But you can do it yourself.

What does networking involve?

The process of networking is proactive; it’s something that you make happen. You go out and meet people, you follow-up, you are of value to others, and then you benefit.
You must understand that networking is all give and take. You’ve got to keep the Golden Rule and give, give, give, even without thought of reward. Selfless networkers make the best networkers.

To network successfully, you’ve got to become the kind of person that people would want to meet. And that’s not difficult; you can do this by being well groomed, well mannered, having integrity and showing loyalty, and by genuinely desiring to help the people you meet. To attract a friend you’ve got to be a friend. So be friendly! And people hate pretences; they can tell when you’re faking it. Be natural. Grow into what you presently are not, instead of pretending that you are.

Basically, here are the guidelines for selfless, effective networking:

1. Provide genuine assistance
2. Be open-minded
3. Remember personal details – names, places of work, positions held, birthdays, marital status etc
4. Respect cultural differences. Nowadays, networking extends across the globe thanks to the internet and mobile telephony, so you’ll encounter diverse peoples and cultures. Be mindful of this, and accommodating.
5. Research people and companies; know their goals and interests, so you can help them better
6. Reciprocate good deeds. Better still, initiate them!

Note that if you are perceived as out-to-get, your network could well shrink rather than grow! Networking is all about building relationships and mutual interactions, benefiting all involved. You’ll be sharing information, helping others grow their businesses, move up in their careers or enhancing their social lives.


Copyright 2005 Oma Edoja


Part Two

How to Network

(1) Give out business cards wherever you go, targeting those you would want in your network of contacts or customers. Be friendly and polite. Volunteer some personal information as necessary; your prospect needs to know something about you and your business/interests. Ask for the recipient’s card, writing the circumstances of your meeting, and other anecdotal information, on the back of the card. It’s easy to forget if you don’t write it down, especially since you’ll be collecting a lot of cards.

Engage in short chit-chat, to know more about, and remember the recipients of your cards. Merely pocketing them is a sure way to forget, undermining your networking efforts. Keep your cards crisp and neat, in a business card holder. Don’t drag them from the bottom of your hand bag or briefcase, lipstick soiled or dog-eared! Hold them like the precious pieces they are, and they will be treated as such by their recipients. And definitely do ensure that the hands presenting them are well manicured!

(2) Learn the art of good conversation. Listen more than you talk, and listen with genuine interest. Make others at ease around you – smile at them, look them in the eye, shake hands firmly, initiate conversation, encourage them to talk, and respond enthusiastically when they do. Repeat their name as they tell it to you, to help you remember it later.

Follow up your contacts as soon as possible. Contacts are hot and viable when you make them, but soon cool off and die out. So act fast. If you go to the trouble to network, you should follow up your contacts. Call/meet/ email/chat if you said you would. Your contacts are valuable; treat them as such. When you do link up, be sure to offer as much value as you can. And keep out the gossip, show zero tolerance for it. You will be respected and known as the one who can keep a confidence.

(4) Have an eye and ear for opportunities. Like the Boy Scouts, be prepared! Attend functions with your business cards and other networking materials on hand. It may not be appropriate in some cases, but be ready for when it is. Don’t over-do it though, or you’ll soon find that the room empties whenever you step in!

(5) Ask questions about others, their work, and their challenges. Always think: How can I help this person? Be a walking resource pack; give out useful information. Apart from genuinely helping others, this will attract people to you, the aim of networking in the first place.

(6) Have a thirty second, benefit-laden speech about what you do – your thirty second commercial. Present it in a way that sparks interest, shows your passion, and gets people wanting to meet you. Show what’s in it for them if they patronize your business. For instance, rather than just saying, “I’m a photographer,” you could say, “I capture and preserve memories by creating the look you want and recording it on film for posterity. I am available any day of the week, can be reached easily on the phone, and for your convenience I can reach you wherever you are,” provided all you say is true! You then proceed to hand out your business cards, and perhaps a free leaflet showing how to preserve your photographs, with your name and contact information on it. You could offer something additional for free, like a set of passport photographs for the first ten people from this group to patronize you. Then overwhelm them with brilliant customer service when they do visit. Sounds mouth-watering doesn’t it?!”


These are just a few ways you can network. With a little thought and creativity you can put in place some strategies of your own. As you build a profitable network, you increase your sales and consequently your income. It can therefore truly be said that your net worth depends on your network, the size and strength of which it is yours to determine. Proactively or reactively!





Some networking web-sites

• www.rhyze.com (international online networking)
• www.forumone.com (forums on internet networking)
• www.dejanews.com (newsgroups)
• www.nigeriagalleria.com (Nigeria’s online business directory)
• www.womensnetwork.com.au (networking for women)
• www.bizymoms.com (networking and general info for moms in home based business)
• www.wahms.com (networking and general info for moms in home-based business)
• www.mommysplace.net (networking and general info for moms on home-based business)


Copyright 2005 Oma Edoja

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oma Edoja is a life coach and writer. Visit her other blog http://turnaroundresources.blogspot.com for personal development and life coaching.