You may have noticed a pattern in my recent postings. Many of them contain links to and my comments on other people's blogs. Why? I guess you could say I am networking. That is I am trying to "meet" new people online and pique their interest in my business. In doing so I found WE Magazine for Women that has with TONS of resources and articles that I think you'll enjoy including an article on Networking.

Author Andrea Nierenberg says in the article "My theory is that good networking skills build links and alliances with people we meet along our career path. 'The opposite of networking is not working'—you can learn from everyone you meet and also be a resource to them. If you are lucky, down the road something may come back." I totally agree with her and added a few comments about people's sometimes negative perception of hetworking which she also discusses.

Below are my comments to the article. Click here to read the whole article at WE Magazine for Women.

"One of the biggest complaints I’ve heard about networking is from folks who aren’t comfortable meeting new people or being in group settings. In fact, I was one of these years ago when I first became a massage therapist. But as necessity mandated that I build my practice, I learned to look at a room full of strangers as a room full of potential clients. It became a lot easier to talk to people everywhere about what I did after that attitude adjustment.

Now as a business consultant that helps other service-oriented professionals (such as massage therapists, yoga instructors, estheticians, and even computer technicians) I try to help people find marketing tools and vehicles that suit their personality best. Perhaps not everyone is cut out for joining a leads group or other structured networking organization. But they would work well and enjoy serving in a volunteer position that complements what they already do or puts them in touch with people who can use their services.

To me networking is just about spreading the word about what you do to others you meet and making business connections that can be of help to you and others you know down the road. So I encourage people to be prepared to share their business with others wherever they go and to be open to the many opportunites that can come from “planting” and “watering” the seeds of their business along the way."

The bottom line is that networking is good for your business. So be prepared. Carry cards with you wherever you go and be ready to tell people what you do. Invite them to be your clients and before you know it the phone will start to ring.