Wendy Caverly shares powerful strategies people can use to build strong business connections and intentional networks and get the most out of networking events. She also reveals why annual year-end celebrations are a powerful way to connect with inaccessible leaders, build connections, and plant seeds for future business success.
Who Is Wendy Caverly?
Wendy Caverly is a networking strategist, speaker, consultant and founder of Crusaders Networking, providing a new, strategic view of intentional professional connecting. With 20+ years of entrepreneurial and networking experience, Wendy knows a thing or two about finding, connecting and building relationships with the “Who.”
What is Intentional Networking?
If you’ve been in the business development space for any number of years, you may have heard of the term intentional networking. But what does that mean, and why should you care? Being intentional is doing something with/on purpose. On the other hand, networking is connecting with others to develop professional or social relationships. Combining these two together will help you slow down, get focused, and plant seeds of higher quality referrals and more powerful relationships.
How to Build Purposeful Networks Of Influence
When it comes to professional networking, success often revolves around three things: credibility, the transfer of trust, and the exchange of value. But here’s another caveat that most people seem to ignore – to build more valuable networks, you don’t have to network more; you just have to be more intentional about how you network. So, never go into interactions hoping to squeeze as much value from people. Building purposeful networks is about building relationships. Focus more on who you know and who knows you, and then create a solid relationship based on giving without expecting something in return.
Find More Success at Networking by Setting Goals
When you walk into a networking event, do you have goals? If you don’t have a plan for what you want to achieve at the end of the day, you’re doing it all wrong, and that’s why you never see any results with your networking efforts. Good networking is built on a plan that defines what you want to achieve, who you want to meet, and what you stand to gain from every interaction. Unfortunately, networking is one of those things most people do in response to little or no business. It’s rarely treated as an essential part of growing the businesses – and the people that put in the effort focus on the end goal too much. The last thing you want to do at a networking event is make your networking transactional instead of building meaningful relationships.
The next time you attend an event, have a plan and set goals. Connect without expectations but always remember that a good plan won’t guarantee meaningful connections. The sole purpose of a plan is to help you avoid the pitfalls that might arise when interacting with a diverse group of people.
Tips for Networking at Holiday Parties and Events
The holidays are upon us. End-year office parties, association events, and celebrations with family and friends will be on the cards till early January. No matter the type of party you attend, Wendy believes holiday events are a great opportunity to have fun and network. However, networking at holiday events can be different from traditional gatherings. For one, people don’t expect to be sold to, so leave your salesy mindset at home. Second, the holiday season is all about giving; give value without expecting anything in return. This way, you get to build trust with people that could potentially open doors for you down the road. Finally, holiday events are great places to grow your network because everybody shows up. Even the top executives that are generally impossible to reach will attend these events, making them the best places to plant networking seeds.
Links:
Wendy on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendy-c-caverly/
Wendy’s website – https://www.wendycaverly.com/Wendy’s