The term networking simply means the process of interacting with others to exchange information and develop social or professional contacts. Some people love networking, others fear it. When our Business Development Manager Coran joined TruSolv, she’d had some networking experience. Fast forward to today and Coran is an active networker across Hampshire and even co hosts some of the groups she is part of.

As it is National Networking Week, we asked Coran for her advice for anyone who is new to networking and how to get started.

Coran’s journey into networking

“Believe it or not, today is 3 years to the day (10th February) that I joined TruSolv as Business Development Manager (BDM). I’d not had a BDM role before. I had limited networking experience from working in banks as a Retail Branch Manager for 20 years. But I jumped in at the deep end from day one.

I searched on Eventbrite for local networks. I’ll be honest, the first few weren’t a great success. I did however get an intro to a group called BNI which for me, feels where my networking really took off.

Then bang. Covid hit.

As we all did, I spent a lot of time at home over the next few months online networking but I also had the chance to utilise the BNI University and learn about best practices when it came to networking. Once we were out and about again, all that learning gave me the confidence to expand my networking into other groups and then I discovered The Boardroom Network (TBN). 

The great thing about networking is that there are lots of groups out there and they all have their own USPs. I like BNI for its processes (that’s the ex-bank manager in me!) and TBN for its relaxed community feel. “

Coran’s top tips to get the best out of networking

1. Find your people – much like the saying “don’t judge a book by its cover”, don’t judge a networking group by the experience of someone else. Go and explore. What works for you might not work for someone else, and only you can decide that.
2. Be yourself – people buy people. Sell yourself first and then your business. If you’re in a group where you don’t feel you can be yourself, then you’re probably in the wrong group. 
3. Be prepared – always have a pen, business cards, and a short 30-60 second pitch (write it down if that helps). I always like to have a glass of water to hand as well (just in case a tickly cough strikes!) 
4. Actively listen – don’t worry about your upcoming 60 second pitch. Listen to understand, not to reply.
5. Follow ups are really important – don’t forget the obvious things like connecting with who you met on LinkedIn.
6. Keep your promises – if you say you’ll make an introduction to someone or send them more information, do it (as soon as you can after the meeting!)
7. Wear a smile! You’ll make anyone else feeling nervous at ease and you’ll look approachable. That’s what it’s all about!

For more networking advice you can follow Coran on LinkedIn here.