Who You Know: Networking Your Way to Sales Leads, Investors, and Employees

One of the first jobs I had in New York City in the early 1990s was with a small public relations firm in Manhattan. I didn’t get the job through a want ad, but rather through connections I made via the NYC chapter of the University of Alabama’s National Alumni Association. The PR firm owner never had to deal with expensive recruiters, classified ads or dozens of interviews over several weeks; she just knew someone who referred me.

In many respects, networking may even be a better way to find employees than a faceless want ad---you get to meet a collection of potential employees and see what they are really like. For example, you may be at a happy hour networking function when you notice the candidate you spoke with earlier doing tequila shots and making a general fool of himself. By meeting someone in a more relaxed setting, you are more likely to learn more about them than in an interview.  Further, you could meet five to ten candidates at just one event.

All of the above scenarios are not out of the question, especially in a workforce that is as diverse as New York City’s where there are networking groups based on professions, professional affiliations, race, sex, sexual orientation, religion, and much more.

There is no time like the present when it comes to networking, especially since so many new networking groups have cropped up in New York recently. Rest assured, no matter what your goals, there is a professional networking group for you!

Quality, not Quantity
“Networking is the perfect process for developing and maintaining quality relationships that are mutually beneficial,” according to Joseph I. Hunt, co-founder of RelationshipLink. “Most people think that networking is just about selling and evaluate their success based on the number of business cards they collect. That’s missing the real benefit. Networking is about the quality of the relationships, not the quantity.”

RelationshipLink sponsors BizExchange meetings on a monthly basis throughout the New York City metro area. The events provide entrepreneurs, presidents, and senior managers the opportunity to meet each other in a structured setting, exchange ideas, problem solve, and refer business to one another. RelationshipLink’s members represent a wide range of professions, all of whom are committed to improving the effectiveness of their organizations and offering their experience, support, and access to their own personal networks to assist others to do the same.