Learn Something New

One of the most valuable aspects of networking is the opportunity to learn something new from every individual you meet, regardless of whether you will purchase their product or service, or vice versa.

Think for a moment of all the years you spent in school – beginning with Kindergarten, and moving forward through high school, college, grad school, even CE courses you take for your job. You’ve spent a large portion of your life paying other people to teach you things that you may or may not use in your daily life, and you’ve actually shelled out money to many of these folks so that you could learn something new.

What you’ve come away with is the knowledge to do your job and provide a product or service that is superior to that of someone who is not in your industry, and you have the opportunity to educate them in a way that may influence their decision to purchase from you, or to refer someone they know who will benefit from your product.

How do you find this out? It’s a recurring theme in this blog: you listen!

Each group traditionally has a formal education opportunity set up as a benefit to its members and guests. Depending on the venue and format of the networking meeting, there may be tables or booths at which the sponsors “speed-teach” each person who approaches their station – hopefully, they tailor their presentation to the audience and don’t just offer a canned speech.

Formal meetings often have a designated speaker or two, who present for five to ten minutes on a particular aspect of their business. And, of course, there are “elevator speeches” given by the members or attendees, in which they educate in a 30-second or one-minute window.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve learned about SPF levels in sunscreen products, why some “sterling silver” jewelry turns my skin green, why the traffic pattern in front of a home can affect its resale value, how “noise pollution” leads to hearing loss, and how free radicals are linked to everything from asthma to high blood pressure.

Carol Reinle of Hot Biscuit Marketing gave a great presentation Monday about social networking and the most effective way to market on Facebook. (Read about it in her book “Hot Online Marketing Secrets“).

Because I’ve learned these things from my networking colleagues, I can provide great referrals for folks who have just come from their dermatologist, are looking for a home, ask people to repeat themselves often or wonder why their diastolic pressure is higher than normal despite healthy diet and exercise habits.

I also learn the folks not to refer to: the ones who chat incessantly to their neighbor while others are giving their presentations, or who seem to think 

that their smart phones are more interesting than the living, breathing people sharing the room with them.

Networking can provide a learning experience as valuable as sitting in a classroom – without the Number Two pencils!