Changing Your Mindset for Networking Success

BY GAIL STOLZENBURG

Have you ever been told you need to change your mindset? Why is that important to your networking success?

What is a Mindset?

A mindset is an established set of attitudes held by someone. It is the collection of things you consciously or unconsciously believe or assume that influences how you meet your needs, how you feel, and how you think and approach things that ultimately influences your actions and outcome.

Carol Dweck, a Stanford psychologist and the author of Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, says there are two types of mindset: Fixed and Growth. “A fixed mindset assumes that our character, intelligence, and creative ability are static givens which we can’t change. A growth mindset, on the other hand, thrives on challenge and sees failure not as evidence of unintelligence but as a heartening springboard for growth and for stretching our existing abilities.”

What are the Qualities of Someone with a Healthy Growth Mindset?

•They keep the focus on the client and eliminate the “me”, “my”, “mine”, “we”, “us”, and “ours”.

•They ask probing questions about the needs of the potential client. When they find out what their symptoms are, they provide the remedies for them.

•They recognize that it is not possible for everyone to be their client. You can’t fit a size 12 foot into a size 8 shoe.

•If they can’t help them, they try to refer them to someone else who can.

•They try to include a story about someone else they knew who had a similar problem that their prospect can relate to.

•They never waste other’s time. They provide valuable and quality information.

•They never try to convince someone to eat shrimp if they are allergic to seafood.

•They never stop learning. They always take notes on the new things they learn.

•They regularly read nonfiction books and take self-improvement courses.

•They focus on networking every day whether it is in-person or online.

Why is Having a Growth Mindset so Important to Networking Success?

By listening intently to the questions people ask when you are networking with them, you are able to determine if they are the ones who have a Fixed Mindset or a Growth Mindset. If they say things like “Why is this always happening to me?” or, “Why am I unable to get ahead?”, they have a Fixed Mindset and you should spend less time with them. On the other hand, if they say, “How can I improve on that” or, “Where can I find out about that?”, they have a Growth Mindset and you have a greater potential in developing a business relationship with them.

It is so important to focus on your Target Market while networking. Determine who would be your best prospect and find out what is keeping them awake at night. Know at least three characteristics about them and focus on those during your introduction. We know the majority of people make the decision on whether to continue the conversation with you within a couple of seconds.

They need to convince themselves why you are the best person to spend their money with. If you are networking online, they need to see that you are confident and an expert in your field. And, always have a call-to-action resource such as offering a free report, a book, an article, etc. These are all aspects of developing your mindset. If you are unsure of yourself, how can you expect your prospect to feel confident with you?

Eventially, it is your mindset that will determine how you respond and the success you will have. The more you develop your mindset, the better life you will have with more opportunities and better relationships.

Change Your Mindset, Change Your Future

We can change our mindset in one second and there is no cost. It’s free to do. Instead of letting our mindset control us, by taking a chance we can change our future. Most people are surprised to know that nature gives us a negative mindset.

We are internally preprogramed to fear everything as a means of self-defense. Nature wants us to protect ourselves so we can survive. Surviving is good but achieving is greater! Achieving requires us to stick our neck out. It requires us to take a risk of talking to strangers with the potential of being rejected. And what about others? Can they affect our mindset? Certainly! If we let them!

Ways to Change Your Mindset and Become a Better Networker:

•Make a commitment to remain positive, learn a new skill, and create a Healthy Mindset.

•Find things that make you happy such as nature walks, exercise, dark chocolate, swimming; then schedule time each week to do it.

•Take immediate action by doing a follow-up, making a phone call, making a commitment.

•When you were a baby and learning to walk, did you give up the first time you fell down? It is no different as an adult. You need to take one tiny action step. Hearing the word “no” shouldn’t stop you from trying again with a different person or in a different way.

•If you never make a change, what do you think is going to be the end result? The definition of insanity is to keep doing the same things over and over but expecting different results!

•Read books on mindset such as Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill and Secrets to Mastering Your Mindset by Tom “Big Al” Schreiter.

- So, change your mindset and see more networking success! -

Gail “The Connector” Stolzenburg is the Author of "21 Ways to Connect" Gail can be contacted by email at Gail@GailStolzenburg.com or by phone at (281) 493-1955 Visit his website at GailStolzenburg.com