Networking 101 - Be Careful of What you Say

 Networking 101 - Be Careful of What you Say

By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd

So I am sure that we all agree that “people talk”!  We all do it.  When we talk about people, especially in the business world and particularly in the SMME environment, it is generally about what people have done.  Now of course this could go one of two ways – there is always the instance when someone has messed up – badly, and then the conversation would go along the lines of “Jane Doe did not do what she promised to and as a result, Joe Bloggs is out of pocket and he lost the deal”.  The result of this kind of conversation, however,  usually means that the people, within hearing distance, would not be using the services of Jane Doe – well not any time soon anyway.

Then of course the conversation could also go along the lines of “Jane Doe promised to deliver XY & Z and she actually went out of her way and introduced him to  AB & C as well and as a result of that Joe Bloggs not only got the deal, but they have also signed a contract for another deal!”.  The result of this kind of conversation, however, usually means that people, within hearing distance, would be clambering to meet up with Jane Doe and use her services and her contacts.

That is how it is with “networking” too and believe me, the SMME world is not that huge that you don’t get noticed, either way.

So think about which message it is that you would like to send and live your life accordingly.  Make sure you deliver what you promise (even if it takes a while) and make sure that you continually grow your database with people who understand the Power of Networking.

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