David J.P. Fisher | Networking
Show Notes: http://ryanrhoten.com/davidfisher
Today I welcome to the BRAND New You show David J.P. Fisher president of Rock Star Consulting.
David, AKA - MC D Fish to his band mates , is a speaker, entrepreneur, coach, salesman, writer, marketer, yoga enthusiast and salsa dancer.
He also happens to be the author of the book Networking in the 21st century: why your network sucks and what you can do about it.
The book serves as a guide for modern professionals and walks the reader through the challenges and opportunities that exist in business networking.
David believes networking is THE difference between those who get by and those who are getting ahead!
What is networking really? I’m finding most people I ask tend to cringe when I ask for their definition.
For some reason networking has a negative connotation for many people. Because of this David likes to let every one define networking in a way that works for them.
He mentions however that most of us use a definition for networking that actually holds us back and keeps us from taking action. So think about that for a minute.
What’s your definition of networking? Does your definition keep you from taking action or does it align closer to Don Orlando’s definition?
David’s definition of networking is:
“Building a web of relationships with other people so that you can find mutual support and find business solutions.”
Most of think about networking in a formal perhaps creepy kind of way.
David challenges this mindset/definition by offering that each of us network every day. In fact, any time we interact with others we are networking.
Take a minute and wrap your mind around this concept. Here’s a question to get you in the right frame of mind.
How did you find your significant other? Was it through an introduction by someone else?
Think about the most recent song you downloaded. Did you hear about it from someone else? Did you then tell others about it? That my friends is networking.
David and I discuss the common reasons people don’t like to network. Have you ever had any of these thoughts.
“I don’t have the personality for networking."
"I’m not built for networking.”
“I don’t have time for networking."
If you’ve ever said any of these yourself, David offers some great advice on how to get past this mindset and start developing your networking skills.
David and I spend a fair amount of time talking about how to develop a networking plan. When developing your plan, David cautions to keep it simple and do-able. So simple in fact, you can write it out on a napkin if that suits you.
Here are 3 steps to developing your networking plan.
You need to identify where you want to go professionally. This may sound obvious but David gives us some real life examples of people he’s worked with over the years including CEO’s who cannot answer this question.
You need to know what you are working towards professionally or as the Cheshire Cat says:
“If you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there.”
