Networking 101 - Time is in Short Supply, Don’t Waste It

Networking  101 - Time is in Short Supply, Don’t Waste It

By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd

I don’t know about you, but time for me is something that is in very short supply and I value it immensely. Little wonder then that I get extremely peeved when people waste my time.

Corporates are notorious for wasting people’s time and the amount of time that it takes for them to make a decision about anything often makes me wonder about whether they actually know how to make one at all and in moments of extreme agitation and irritability I wonder how they actually function as a business.  Their inability to make any kind of decision must surely hamper anything that they may be trying to achieve.

Understandably then, I much prefer to do business with and deal with the like minded business people that I generally meet at Networking meetings.  There’s no beating around the bush.  Decisions are made based on the input available and with a minimum amount of fuss and bother.

You see, we all know and understand firstly, the reason why we are at the Networking meeting, which is to do business, to meet people and to build relationships.  Secondly we all understand that the time of everyone there is a precious commodity, so we don’t waste each other’s time.  There is no pondering and pampering of egos.  There’s no dancing about and around the issues.  It’s either Yes, or it’s No! 

The quick decisions, and yes they are informed decisions are what makes Networking so valuable to all concerned.  The ‘no nonsense’ let’s get done because I have other things to do, makes it for me a valuable source of new clients, new service providers, new contacts and new relationships.

Knowing ‘how to’ Network effectively is one of my greatest assets!

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za  or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za