How to go from nervous wreck to networking Queen and grow your influence
There can be times in life where we may feel a strong resistance to meeting new business contacts, and sometimes stepping out of our comfort zone can be daunting, but in my experience and after interviewing networking queen Terri Cooper the effort to develop the ability to network effectively can be crucial to your career and business success.
Listening to how Terri went from being a nervous wreck to the queen of networking clearly demonstrates how we can turn our fears into our greatest strength.
Terri shares her tips for perfecting the skills of successful networking and how she got out of her comfort zone to turn it into a fabulous success story. She faced her fears of networking and public speaking, and went on to become the networking queen, positively impacting thousands of lives because of it.
To me it is obvious that Terri took a pragmatic and practical approach to transitioning into the role of a business owner and despite at times not being sure how to even pay her rent, she stayed clear on her two big motivations – her determination not to work for anyone else again and her desire to help others network, connect and benefit from it.
Top tips from Terri
- Feel your fear and do it anyway and go with an open mind.
- 94% of people wish they were better at networking. That’s half of every room you walk into.
- Remember you are not just networking with the person in front of you but with everyone they know.
- Ask interesting questions, be interested and listen to the answers.
- Be a professional, practice and rehearse before going to an event.
- Connect with 10 people both at your table and others in the room.
- Know the protocols of each networking group.
- Arrive early.
- Leave people feeling positive after they have spoken with you.
- Follow up within 48 hours of meeting a new contact.
If you take on board the top tips when networking it will help you with a holistic and sustainable approach, ultimately leading to your success.
“I think, sustainable success is about growing, changing, not being stagnant, getting out of your own head, and I think networking does all of those things,” Terri says.
“It just gets you out in the real world and in particular, if you work on your own a lot, you can get in a bit of a rut. I find that being out and banding networking situations keeps you informed, that keeps you alert, it keeps you interactive.
“It puts you into a different mindset, but it also keeps you informed, which is obviously, good for your health because we all know that people who work from home or work on their own, their mental health can sometimes suffer from manic much easier to fall into a rut and it’s much easier to stay there.”
So, to all the business professionals out there who may be struggling with confidence and how to stand up in the world, connect with Terri because her own life story is her true success and she can show you how to thrive in a networking environment.
What did I take away from Terri?
Don’t be afraid of what terrifies you but instead use it to your advantage and face your fears, and keep going despite of them. If I quit every time I feared something, I certainly wouldn’t be where I am today but I embraced my fears and pushed myself.
One last thing is to be open to new opportunities, give and receive ideas, connections and information from others. While it is good to go to a networking event with clear intentions to secure more business, value the benefits of the connections and be prepared for magic to happen.
Success doesn’t happen overnight, it is a long drawn out process but knowing how to thrive rather than survive is absolutely key.
Click here to listen to Terri Cooper’s interview on the Hot and Healthy podcast: Terri Cooper
If you want greater clarity and clear next steps for you in your business or career, sign up for a 90 minute Power Session with me and let’s get you on the right path to sustainable success. Use the coupon code “Hot Blog” and save $150 on your session. This is a powerful coaching session that gets results fast!
Nicole
