What’s Your Agenda

Posted on 20. Dec, 2011 by in Blog, Connecting 20/20

At times, many of us may stop to think: why do I network?  Some people network to increase sales- customer relationships, meet new prospects, and get referrals.  Others network for reasons that aren’t marketing-related, like finding a new job, attracting organizations to partner with, getting wisdom from another perspective, or even to create a security net in case something happens.  The point is everyone networks for different reasons.

In the business world, anything worth doing is something that is directed at obtaining a goal.  The fact is everyone needs an agenda to keep them motivated in their networking endeavors.  Without a goal to shoot for, networking can turn into an old pastime quickly.

There is nothing selfish about creating reasons or goals for why you connect with people.  People need others to function, so reaching out and involving others in your goals benefits everyone.  As long as you are networking the correct way- where you aren’t manipulating, using, or stepping all over people, having an agenda is a great element when networking.

Networking relationships can even have a purely relational purpose as well.  A goal could be to have a mentor who can provide advice and wisdom from their own experience.  Another goal could be to form a book club- but the whole point of having an agenda is to push you to always be moving forward and not to become stagnant in life.

When it comes to spreading holiday cheer, make it a point to go out of the way to do a favor or give a tip of advice so someone.  A relationship is when both people give and take.  So as the New Year is quickly arriving, make an agenda in networking part of your resolution.