I know, you are busy. You are caught up in all the stuff you have to do. I know. I am too. Yet, building real business relationships waits for nobody. If you are not starting now, and your competition is out there...they might grow strong friendships and you will be left out.
I talked to a young attorney this weekend who wants to build a law practice who thinks she can put off cultivating her network while she is an associate, and then turn up her networking when she makes partner. Her complaint is that as a young lawyer with a husband and child, she does not have the time worry about anything beyond her work and her family.
We talked about how a strong network will help her career, but she stated "I want to have it all and others will just have to wait".
I am not convinced she will have it all (can anyone have it all???), and I know that the longer she waits to start her business development efforts (and networking), the harder it will be later. I told her that if she waits until she has time, she will NEVER have time. She shrugged her shoulders and ended the conversation.
You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink.
Have A Great Day.
thom
Good post Thom - this has to be one of the bigger pink elephants. Before I got laid off I told people they NEED to network. But I never did. I thought I was immune.
ReplyDeleteEveryone should build meaningful relationships NOW - inside their circle and outside their circle.
And, for a little bonus, start putting together a list of target companies that you are interested in (as vendors, customers, prospective employers)... this is all super-valuable stuff as you are building a business or preparing for a career change.
You can start RIGHT NOW, for free with an account at JibberJobber. At least go put in one network contact and one target company!
Jason Alba
CEO - JibberJobber.com