The more I traveled the more my value increased as a person and as an entrepreneur. I could sell myself as a content aggregator that is, using my knowledge & contacts to help a company reach a new market (country). It had become easier for me to open doors for companies who wanted access to markets where I lived. It was quite common for me to say, connect a businessman in Thailand to a banker in Brazil; all of this possible because of my contacts in Brazil. I had these contacts in Brazil because when I lived in Brazil I made it a point to network with as many people as I could. As it turned out my networking initiatives had a good ROI for me and these contacts represented real value for my clients. Did I have any special skills you may ask? Looking back at how I, as a foreigner in a foreign land, successfully found clients, I equate it to my passion for people and business, my goal to become a better networker, the people from a different culture who were open to helping me and, at times, a bit of raw luck. I like people so that’s not a skill per se. I was fearful and shy but I knew that I had to face my fears and eventually ‘break the ice’ with a new person. Regardless if you are networking on your ‘home turf’ or abroad, Networking is the art of building and maintaining connections to develop mutual benefits and the key word is mutual. Networking is essentially connecting ...connecting with other people, some like-minded, some not. But the more genuine you are, the more resilient and valuable your networks become. You can learn the techniques that rely on being true to yourself, using strengths you already have. Anyone can learn the craft, regardless of their personality, current contact list, location, culture, nationality or age. All any of us need is the right attitude. 6
I’ve had the pleasure of meeting many people from many different cultures and nationalities and these three rules applied to all of them. It doesn’t matter if the person was Congolese, British, Thai or Haitian. We’re all basically the same, regardless of the country or continent. We want to be heard and respected. Try to apply these three steps beginning today:
Honoring your commitments When you commit to doing something for someone else, you can never be quite sure of its importance or value to them and how much they’ll remember what you promised. Another way to meet your commitments is to ‘honor your own word.’
Don’t ever be afraid to ask Networking is basically asking someone for an insight, help, a suggestion or ultimately a contact. In order to get to that point however, ‘you gotta ask!’ This is where it begins and ends. You gotta ask what you can do for them, before asking in return. The reason you network is because it gets you connected and helps identify and recognize who can help you now, in a week, a month, a year or way down the line. That might not cross your mind when you make a new contact, but you may find they can help in more ways than you expect. Keep an open mind when networking and realize that although you’ll not always get what you want, you’re becoming a catalyst to your network. Over time, your peers and new contacts will recognize that you give without asking when it comes to networking and you’re becoming the go-to guy/girl in the process. That’s powerful. Finally, remember that we all need relationships to work effectively and live happy and fulfilled lives--interdependency makes it all work.