THE WORKPLACE

With job cuts expected to continue, more workers are ramping up their networking efforts, trying to build relationships in these bleak times.

Of course, widening circles isn’t easy when our free time already is limited. But the financial climate requires us to shake off our unease and schmooze effectively.

Experts say if you think you don’t have time to network, think again. Networking is one of the most profitable activities that can be incorporated into everyday life. The 103,000 members of BNI, the country’s largest networking group, have made more than 5.5 million referrals valued at more than $2.2 billion, the group says.

Career experts say creating and maintaining contacts should be strategic and focused. It is all about developing relationships with people who can advance your career or business rather than just collecting business cards. That determines which groups to join.

“It’s about knowing what you want to catch,” says John Remson, a legal marketing specialist. Remson tells his clients to make a list of 15 people they want to meet or get to know better and figure out where those people hang out. Once you meet them, he advises, “stay on their radar screen.” Doing that requires touching base with them at least once a quarter, he says.

To foster relationship- building, he advises going beyond membership events or a random lunch meeting. “Distinguish yourself by being actively involved.” Professional networker Jeff Meshel, who has more than 5,000 names in his contact list, argues that effective schmoozing can be done with a few existing acquaintances in various businesses. He suggests getting together with a small group once a month. Make a shift in the way you think. “When you meet people you are not only going to initiate your agenda but help the others (in the group).”

A huge networking mistake is collecting business cards and shoving them in a drawer, says Meshel, who wrote “One Phone Call Away, Secrets of a Master Networker.” He suggests organizing cards into a network relationship database and following up.

The Miami Herald