Yesterday I went to an event hosted by Yorkshire Business Angels, they are a group of venture capitalists who invest in SMEs and have regular conferences where entrepreneurs can make presentations and pitch for investment.
I went along not because of any need for a business angel but to network and tell people about BforB. I met some familiar faces and one or two new ones as well. One particular chap I met is a business consultant. As we talked I understood that we had a lot in common, we both spoke more than one langauge and we had both lived in Mexico city for a time. I also learnt that he was a vastly experienced business man who had worked for and on behalf many prestigious companies around the world.
As we spoke we were joined by somebody else who described herself as a "Non Exec". Having asked what we both do she spoke largely about herself and then said her goodbyes and joined another group. At the end of the presentations my older wiser and more experienced colleague turned to me and said: "Just a word of advice, I found that woman who joined us and then cleared off after 5 minutes pretty offensive. Make sure you remember that."
As we said our goodbyes he said: "I wouldn't expect you to pay me, but if you ever feel you need some advice on running your network referral business then let me know"
Enough said.
3. help others - give before you receive
ReplyDeleteAlways prioritise helping and giving to others ahead of taking and receiving for yourself.
You must give in order to receive. Be helpful to others and you will be helped in return.
Networks of people are highly complex - often it is not possible to see exactly how and why they are working for you, so you must trust that goodness is rewarded, even if the process is hidden and the effect takes a while.
Use the principle of 'what goes around comes around'.
This comes from www.businessballs.com on how to network http://bit.ly/cZeXeO will take you straight there; then look in section 3 John I