Networking & Dating: equally uncomfortable, but necessary...

Networking and dating are often compared - both are about relationships, after all!

Here's a thought-provoking articlewith some good tips from the Business2Community website by Deanna M. Murray, Director of Digital Strategy & Marketing at US agency Build.Automate Inc.

I particularly like the sections on networking as a team which is a fundamental strategy underpinning my own new networking venture,  MyTeam Network.

"Networking events are, for all comparative purposes, not that different from the dating scene. A person goes around to people they don’t really know. When they get up the nerve, they walk up to someone and try to start a conversation with small talk.

If it goes well and confidence is gained, the small talk makes way into the smooth talk business pitch. If the pitch is well-timed and its recipient receptive, the end result will be, let’s just say, equivalent to a second date: The invitation, via slick business card, to call for an additional conversation that could lead to a mutually beneficial relationship.

Just as in dating, some are better at it than others. The one-liners flow as thick and sweet as honey to the natural but others would rather wait in the shadows in the hopes business will literally fall into their laps. But in this cut-throat dating and business networking scene, some are naturals at the whole thing, while others need some pointers. Here are a few proven tips to make the most of time with potential clients or customers..."[read more here]