Every rising entrepreneur understands the importance
of networking as a powerful means of growing one's business. However for many
entrepreneurs, especially those who are introverts, the idea of networking can be
daunting.
THE
SCARCITY NETWORK MINDSET
We have
all gone to networking events and witnessed the eager net worker desperately
handing out their business cards to everyone and anyone in a frenzied search to
find the right customer or client. Perhaps we have even done this ourselves
OR
Maybe you’ve seen the entrepreneur that comes across
as being disingenuous as they try to use catchy taglines to introduce
themselves such as; “Hi I’m Bob, I am a strategic transformational catalyst”. Eeek!
What the hell is that?
These are all indicators that the scarcity network
mindset is in play. Entrepreneurs who go
to networking events to find their ideal clients and operate from the
perspective of what’s in it for me.
Scarcity energy presents itself as neediness and
desperation which is energy that does not attract but instead pushes people
away. Scarcity energy says that
the ego is too involved, that there are underlying doubts and fears that need
to be addressed. If left unaddressed
these underlying fears will show up in our EXTERNAL marketing.
Merri Macartney of Morning Mojo in her Networking
Magic Teletraining notes said the
following:
The number one mistake people make when networking is that their focus
is on making a sale. For them it is all about telling everything they can about
themselves in the hope that someone will become a client and buy………
In our eager desire to market and promote our products and services we can
often forget that the fundamental premise of networking is about building
relationships. Yes, people do need to know about us; who we are, what we do, and the benefits
we provide. But we easily forget that they
only really BUY our products and use our services when they trust us. In our fast paced world of pseudo internet
connections, we forget that this can only be done through the age old strategy
of establishing a relationship with the
person or service in question.
According to networking expert Libby Sander, “Net workers need to move from the idea of a
consumptive mindset of thinking ‘what can I get?’, ‘what can I take?’ or ‘how
quickly can I benefit from this network?’, to ‘what can I build?’, ‘what can I
create?’ or ‘what can I give to this network?”
The NETWORK MINDSET thus changes from
getting to that of connecting and giving.
Serious networking now becomes about service.How can I be of service here, rather than what is in it for me. It's a very different way of thinking and experiencing the networking process. One that is a lot more relaxed and open allowing for possibilities.
HOW TO
SHIFT FROM SCARCITY TO ABUNDANCE WHEN NETWORKING
How does one shift from a scarcity mindset to
an abundant one?
Change
from
We have all heard of the Law of Attraction. Equally as
important is the Law of Detachment. The Law of Detachment states that in order to successfully attract
something, you must be detached from the outcome.
………... To detach is to
allow the universe to bring your desire into
manifestation whichever way is best for you. You have
to take your conscious mind off it (what you desire) in order to let
your subconscious mind take over. The pilot and the autopilot cannot control
the plane at the same time. ……..
When you are detached, your
desires will manifest much faster GET THE BEST OF MARKETING AND BUSINESS TRAINING STRATEGIES
Moving from attachment to detachment
means that you shift from a position of worry and self doubt to that of a peaceful certainty, of confidence, trust and faith in the process that the goals we have established for ourselves will be met.
means that you shift from a position of worry and self doubt to that of a peaceful certainty, of confidence, trust and faith in the process that the goals we have established for ourselves will be met.
A very simple powerful tool that the beginning entrepreneur
can use when networking is that of journaling. As in all things, journaling is a healthy practice that allows us to tune
into our thoughts and uncover our self talk. In this case we can uncover our negative
self talk about the networking event in question, as well as our thoughts about
networking in general.
The power of journaling is that it allows us to uncover
some of the limited beliefs that we may have about networking that may be
hidden subconsciously outside of our awareness.
Journaling can thus shine a light on how we feel about
ourselves in the area of our confidence, self esteem, values and self worth. These are the powerful feelings and
emotions
that operate on an inner level that if not addressed, can seriously interfere with how we conduct our business.
that operate on an inner level that if not addressed, can seriously interfere with how we conduct our business.
Doing the INNER work in our marketing is just as
important as the EXTERNAL marketing
that we do. If our Marketing Plan is not working then perhaps stepping back and
addressing our underlying thoughts and emotions may be a good place to start in
terms of getting it back on track.
GUIDELINES TO DEVELOP YOUR ABUNDANT NETWORK MINDSET
ü Plan and prepare for your networking events create
a monthly network calendar
ü Research, connect,
and confirm your networking
event/location prior to attending for the
first time
ü Visualize the end result that you
want to get from your networking experience
ü
Reflect on your
networking experiences, it may shine a light
on some areas of growth that you need to explore
ü
Develop and use your own Power Tools for Success that address your
subconscious limited beliefs about networking
ü
Get clear and confident
about who you serve so you can
articulate it clearly to others when networking
ü
Get clear and
confident about the benefits that
you provide in order to articulate it
clearly to others when networking
Those who do it will know networking is about
reciprocity. The person you meet may not
be your ideal client, or you theirs. But
you can be a connector: you can share information, resources, a book, an
article, a reference, a contact, a program
or service. Information that may be the
next important step in propelling your business or theirs forward to the next
level. You may not come away from the networking event with a client; you may
come away with a friendship that can last over time - so always FOLLOW UP and stay
connected when networking.
Veronica
Hislop is the founder of Em-Powered-Solutions Life Relationship Coaching. www.empowered-solutions.ca
She
is also the author of the free e-book Find a Coach Find a Counselor: http://www.prnd2l.co/findcoachfindcounsellor
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