Network Your Way to Millions

Networking is a great way to make business connections, which can open many doors of opportunity to grow your business and make money. Jeremy K. Streeter has provided us with his own experiences when it comes to networking. These simple steps have worked for him and they can work for you too.

So, whose first thought when they read the headline was “Not more network marketing propaganda”? Well, you are forgiven if it was, because had it not been for my last 12 months, I would have been thinking the same thing.

Hi, my name is Jeremy K. Streeter, and a few short years ago I was asked to attend a business networking breakfast to drum up more sales and build my client base. The idea mortified me, not because I was afraid of talking to strangers or the possibility of some form of public speaking, but because I felt it was going to be a complete waste of my time. Here are some things I’ve learned.

Lesson 1: Going in with a negative mindset automatically sets you on the path to failure, networking included.

If you have already told yourself that the venture is going to be a waste of your time, then you are 100% correct. Not only that, but you are now wasting the valuable time of every other person in the room who spends their energy attempting to network with you.

An Abundant Mindset is what will set you on the path to building long-lasting business relationships, not just referrals. My property coach and mentor, Mark Rolton, taught me to go into every negotiation with an abundant mindset – meaning treat the negotiation as though whatever comes of it is a bonus, not a necessity. If you enter the negotiation with a sense of desperation and need, then your “opponent” will sense that straight away, and you have already lost the deal.

The same principle applies to networking. You should enter the room with the intention to build lasting business relationships, not look for the quick sale or to spam as many people as possible with your card. Spend your time making quality conversation, not quantity of conversations and use your abundant mindset to decipher whether you will be able to help the person you are talking to achieve their goals, rather than thinking “will this person buy from me?”

Do this and people will naturally want to find out more about you, in turn asking what they can do for your business. Before you know it, the room will be gravitating towards you and networking will be as easy as drinks with mates.

Lesson 2: Always look the part.

I was recently told a story by my wealth coach and business partner, JT Foxx. He described a large property deal that a colleague of his lost. His colleague was highly credentialed and had a fantastic track record with this type of transaction, but he lost the deal to someone of inferior experience. He was baffled as to how he lost the deal, so after several days he called the vendor and asked.

The answer was blunt, “Your shoes weren’t polished and the other guy’s were.”

Dr. Albert Mehrabian, Professor Emeritus of Psychology at UCLA and author of several publications on non-verbal communication, found that 55% of your message is received through visual means (body language, facial expressions and physical appearance). These numbers suggest that how you look in the eyes of your fellow networkers holds more weight than what you actually say to them! That means if you dress the part, carry yourself with confidence, smile, and greet people with an open posture (not arms crossed) then you are already over 50% of the way there.

Whether you like it or not, assumptions are made based on the way you are dressed. Now sometimes those assumptions hold merit, and other times they don’t. I say why leave it up to chance?

Now, in the case of the neglected shoe story I mentioned before, the assumption was made that if he was unable to look after a pair of shoes, how could he look after his business? Again, some assumptions hold merit, while others don’t, but I feel if over half of my message is portrayed visually, I want to make sure that picture is sending the right message.

Be careful not to judge too harshly if the unpolished shoe is on the other foot. Often, if you assume, it only makes an “ass” out of “u” and “me”. I’m not saying if someone is in the room in boardshorts and singlet you don’t talk to them, I’m saying that if assumptions are going to be made of you, why not make them good ones?

These are just 2 of the many lessons I have learnt on my networking journey to millions, but they are 2 of the most important. Keep them in mind at your next networking event and always remember: “It takes just one connection to change your business and life forever.”

Written By: Jeremy K Streeter