Networking In The New Year

2025 is the year of networking!

Networking is not only for your personal growth, but it can be great for learning from other industry professionals, referrals, and even building a support system. Professional best friends as we like to call them, can quickly be an amazing resource for your career journey, and maybe even your personal, too. No matter what industry you are in, you could likely benefit to build your network.

But, let's talk about the awkward side of networking! Making friends as an adult is tricky, especially in professional settings. How do you start the conversation? How do you keep in touch? Where do you network? Let's talk about these top tips for networking.

Start with your Elevator Pitch

Craft your "pitch" of what you do in a creative, concise sentence or two. When it comes to explaining what we do, we need to be able to confidently tell others, so we can make strong connections from the start.

Attend Events

Try in-person and virtual events, such as conferences, webinars, or local meetups. This can create a commonality that makes conversation flow much easier! Check sites like Eventbrite, Facebook, or your local Chamber of Commerce to find events online or near you. Set a budget and a goal for how many events you can and should attend in a year.

Value-First

Even if they fit the mold for your ideal customer, don't go into networking looking for a sale. Be a great listener, learn about them, and focus on building a relationship and what value you can offer them, rather than trying to focus on closing a lead.

Quality Over Quantity

Don't go into networking by thinking of it like a quest to fill your business card binder or build your number of LinkedIn connections. Instead, focus on who you are starting conversations with and how you can connect or collaborate moving forward.

Follow-Through

If you get their business card or contact info, remember to add them to your phone, LinkedIn, etc., and start your connection!

Follow-Up

Just like any of your friends, remember to check in on your professional friends, too — Ask them how they are doing, offer support, ask questions, comment on their posts, share their businesses!

Ready to network? Let's connect on LinkedIn!