One of the most challenging things business owners and individuals face is how to grow a vibrant network of contacts.
The Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce’s Third Thursday brought together a panel of experts from different backgrounds to give advice on what they have found to be successful.
The panel included Tiffany Heitzman of Homebuilders Association Greater Augusta Region, Patrick Wells, President of Piedmont Landscape Management, James Clayton with New York Life Insurance, and Jeannine Steinkuhl, Director of Sales at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in North Augusta.
“All four of these individuals are up here because they have these vast networks that we should all be able to tap into. But they didn’t start with that. They had to grow that themselves,” said James Allen, the Chamber’s Vice President of Member and Community Development who moderated the discussion. “The entire purpose of being here is to learn a little bit from each of y’all how you were able to grow that network and that really helps you drive your business forward.”
One method of networking included how to nurture a casual conversation with someone new into a valued business contact in the future.
Heitzman said it was a great question with a simple answer: time and effort.
“You have to put the time and effort into building your network,” she said. “Nothing comes easy. One of my favorite things that I live by is, if it was easy, everybody would do it, and not everybody’s doing it, and that’s because it’s not easy.”
For Steinkuhl, it is a matter of using a time-honored tradition, listening more than you speak.
“Go into each conversation with the intent to listen, not with the intent to provide someone your business card, or to get rid of all your business cards to get a sale,” she advised. “If you’re there with the intent to listen, you can be present and you can hear. You can hear the needs that people have, the concerns that folks have, or opportunities. If you’re too busy talking and not doing enough listening, you could miss out on some of those opportunities.”
“Intentional” was a word used often in the context of starting to network and strengthen relationships already in place.
In addition to their professional lives, the panelists were also able to offer advice from the perspective of their personal activities. Heitzman with the Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA), Wells representing the Rotary Club, Clayton as a member of Business Network Internation (BNI), and Steinkuhl as a member of the Young Professionals of Augusta (YPA).
Clayton said when he was invited to join BNI, he looked at the roster of local chapters and identified one with members he knew he wanted to meet. He joined Best Business Builders, a chapter with fewer than 50 members.
“There were 10 people on that roster that I had not met yet, and I’d already been in business for almost four years. I knew these were the people I wanted to meet,” he said. “My advice is look at whatever the networking meeting is, or wherever you’re going to go, find out who’s going to be there. Target somebody that you want to meet, be intentional when you go. It’s not about giving them your business card. It’s about getting there so you can call them and continue to build that relationship.”
Another challenge many people face when they try to network is if they are naturally introverted. Wells advised to lean into it, to get uncomfortable, and to understand that it is okay to feel that way.
“I don’t think you have to walk in and speak in front of a crowd, but I do think that if you’re the first person here, and you know you want to sit in the back, and that’s where you always sit, and come sit in the front, or if there’s one chair that’s in the middle of the row, and you really don’t want to sit around a whole bunch of people, make yourself go sit,” he gave as examples, adding, “Then try to do one new thing you haven’t done each week.”
All agreed it is important to be genuine in interactions with everyone and to be patient. Solid networking doesn’t happen overnight, but it is worth the effort.
