Josh Hinds - Networking Guru

Josh regularly does interviews on his blog.  This is a technique we suggest people use to create more content and build your network.  My first question was about that.

1) Does doing interviews help you expand your network? Tell me the best example of something that came out of an interview.

Josh Hinds Answer:

Without a doubt doing the interviews has been beneficial in strengthening my existing network and meeting new people.

It’s interesting, when I started the site (BusinessNetworkingAdvice.com) I originally envisioned it as a way to strengthen my existing network as I would be interviewing folks I already knew and giving them an opportunity to share their insights with the BusinessNetworkingAdvice community.

What’s been particularly interesting is that often the people I’ve interviewed tend to refer people they know or have connections with to read their own interview, as well as share the resource in other places. I certainly don’t expect them to do it, but it seems to be a natural occurrence.

Another rewarding thing that happens is the interviews I’ve done in some instances have been good sources for connections — from people in my own network as well as folks I have never met before. Occasionally I will get a note from someone that was interviewed on the site saying they were contacted by someone who learned about them from their particular interview. The opportunities that open up are almost infinite.

Effective networking in my humble opinion is all about creating, win, win, relationships. What I particularly like about doing the site is that through the interviews it’s an opportunity to add a third win to the original win, win. In that the person who happens to read the advice shared also gains valuable insights, and in some instances can use it as a chance to reach out and connect with someone they might not have been able to otherwise.

A long time ago I made the commitment to being a life long learner. While one of the topics I speak on professionally is effective networking — I’m not above learning something new (hopefully everyone reading this agrees) and doing the interviews on the site is the ultimate opportunity to learn from others in a wide variety of industries and varying backgrounds. I learn as much from each interview as my readers do.

2) It is easy to network in your region. What are the best techniques for expanding your network to other regions?

Josh Hinds Answer:

If you’re starting out fresh you’d want to identify the people you already know who are connected in some way to the group it is that you want to make a connection with.

Once you’ve identified those people before you jump out there and start asking others to recommend you, you’ve got to remember a golden rule in networking… always put in way more value then you expect to get in return (especially at the front end of the connection/relationship).

If you’ve got a strong relationship with a person in your network already, certainly you can ask them for ideas on making connections, but you want to be very careful so that you aren’t putting them in an uncomfortable position. Some would read this and take issue with the fact that it might be uncomfortable to refer another person to those they know.

Even still suffice it to say, it pays (literally) to give people an easy out if they aren’t able to help. For example, when I’m asking for potential interviews for the site, I’m always aware of people’s time. Time is an invaluable asset.

That being the case most of the time I will include a little mention saying I certainly understand if they’re not able to do the interview, because of time restraints or for whatever reason, but that I did want to ask them about it. Most of the time folks are more than happy to participate, but at least I’m giving them the opportunity to decline if need be.

Again, the point is you want to communicate to people that you’re going to make it as convenient for them as possible to work with you or be associated with you. Remember, always give more than you expect to receive. As the saying goes, givers receive (but only when they’re giving genuinely without giving only because they think they’ll benefit as a result of doing so).

If you are looking to expand your network in areas where you don’t have any existing connections a great place to start is by doing a google search. Say for example you were looking to network with people involved in a particular industry. What you could do is search for sites or blogs that deal with the particular interest and participate in the community. After you’ve taken the time to get to know the people in the community, or the particular site owner you might consider dropping them a message. Focus on them. I can’t stress this enough. Focus on the other persons wants and needs first — in doing so you’ll build rapport and avoid doing what 95% of the other folks who write to them do by focusing on how they can help themselves first.

Along the same line you could also search for and participate in forums or message boards which target the particular group you want to network with. You could do a search for magazines or trade publications which would be of interest to the particular types of people you want to meet and connect with. Often the publications website will have an area on it that outlines how you can submit articles for review to be used on the site or in the magazine or publication. If you have truly valuable knowledge to share you might find yourself getting exposure that way. This can go a long way towards positioning yourself as an expert in the minds of the very people you want to grow connections with.

You could also search directly for industry associations and focus on making connections that way. At the risk of sounding like a recorded message it’s worth stating again that you want to focus on how you can help the other person first. It’s very unlikely that you’re going to be the first person to ever try any of the ideas I’m suggesting, yet if you focus genuinely on giving value to the other person first the results you receive will go a lot farther than approaching the connection from a “what can you do for me” approach.

Consider the following two very different approaches…

1. You drop a message to the editor of a particular magazine that caters to an industry you are interested in networking in. You say, “Hi, I enjoyed the visit to your site. I’m interested in connecting with your readers. Would you mind referring me to anyone you might know who would have a need for what I have to offer?”

Perhaps you’re not saying it exactly like that, but you might as well be if you’re focusing on your needs first.

Now consider the second example.

2. You drop the following message to an editor in a given industry you have an interest in making connections in. “Hi, I enjoyed my visit to your site. I do a lot of networking and plan to expand my focus on meeting people within this particular industry. Could you e-mail me or send me back some information about your magazine which I could use to recommend to anyone I come into contact with in the future that might have a need for the resources you have to offer?

Notice the difference between the two approaches. The second one focuses on helping the other person. This approach is obviously two parts, where the second part is ongoing. Each time you connect with someone that might benefit from what the editor that you contacted has to offer you simply make the connection on their behalf. What’s interesting is that while the two people you connected will likely benefit, you will benefit indirectly as well because you’ve positioned yourself as someone whose genuinely interested in offering valuable resources. You’ve put the focus on others before yourself. In doing so you’ve also positioned yourself as a genuine giver. When you make the connection you should also give the person you’re recommending to the given resource the opportunity to mention that you sent them their way (if they choose to do so). One final point here is that you don’t want to go about connecting people just for the sake of connecting people. There should be a genuine potential synergy that could develop from your having connected them.

3) How would you define a great network? When does someone know enough people and need to focus on those relationships and stop growing the network?

Josh Hinds Answer:

Ron, that’s a great question. I define effective networking as creating win, win relationships. It sounds a little cliche’ and simplified perhaps, but it’s the simplicity of it that makes it right on target if you ask me. A persons network can encompass both personal and professional relationships, and in some cases it’s certainly the case where the lines between purely professional and personal cross each other.

I would feel my network is moving along in the right direction if I can honestly look at its members and say that no one is falling between the cracks. Am I able to give the individual attention and follow up necessary to stay connected with each person to the level that the particular relationship warrants.

A mistake some people make is thinking that after an initial meeting with another person they’re a member of their network. In fact, what they have is a new acquaintance. When in fact It’s the time and investment they’re willing to put in to further developing the connection with the particular person which determines whether or not they become a trusted and valued member of that persons network.

Sometimes we think of networks in terms of contacts or prospects only. When we do this we run the risk of thinking it’s about quantity versus the quality of the connections we have in our network. Anyone can focus on going out and literally building a vast network. But having large numbers of people you are loosely connected with doesn’t necessarily make a person adept at networking (and even if they met with some success, couldn’t it be multiplied by focusing on quality of the relationship?). So rather than focusing on the quantity of people you connect with, focus instead on developing relationships and becoming valuable in the eyes of the other person.

There’s an interesting thing that happens when a person goes from simply attempting to sell them on their wants and needs to first focusing on effective networking, whereby they create value in the eyes of the other person. The entire dynamic seems to do a 180 degree turn. Because effective networkers position themselves as the person that others seek out and want to do business with. They want to become friends with these people. They want to be associated with those who understand the law of giving first. If you doubt that, be honest with yourself for a moment. How did you feel the last time someone came to you with a proposition that was clearly about what you could do for them?

Essentially what I’m saying is rather than deciding on a set number at which you will stop developing new connections, instead make a commitment to serve those who are already in your network, while at the same time developing value among the new people you meet. Making the decision to serve others is a long term commitment. It takes effort, but it can also be a lot of fun along the way. It’s a commitment worth making and you simply can’t believe the opportunities that will come your way as a result of first making the choice to lead by serving others.

In closing I’d like to finish up with the following thought.

Above all, the members of your network are people. People who have wants and needs of their own. Strive to be the type of person that others enjoy being associated with. If you will do that you can’t imagine the benefits that will come your way. It’s an enviable place to be in the marketplace, and the reality is it’s not all that hard to achieve.

Thanks Josh.  Visit his blog for all kinds of great interviews and networking advice.