Never Stop Networking

"The richest people in the world look for and build networks, everyone else looks for work" - Robert Kiyosaki

The number one rule to networking in my opinion is confidence, confidence in yourself but also confidence in your work. Within the first 3 seconds of a conversation the other person has already determined many factors about you and your pitch, simply from expression, body language & eye contact. Every job I have had it has been customer focused, dealing with individuals or large groups at once. Being able to express yourself and have a foot within the conversation builds confidence in not only yourself but also confidence in others on trusting you and willing to give you time.

For me networking has always been apart of the everyday some people call it "hustle" or "graft" but at the end of the day it is a conversation between two people with ideas or skills which they wish to use to get a step further ahead. My skillset as a photographer and filmmaker has always been the skill I enjoy networking with the most. No matter where I am or what job I have I will always have a laugh with the customer, understand them as an individual and eventually people will open up to you about what they do for a living, how long they've done it, their goals in life etc etc etc. This comfort that is created to be open and talk on a level with someone they have just met is something I find easy to do as to me everyone is on the same level and everyone will always need a certain service or skill but hasn't had the opportunity to talk to someone about it in the field they desire.

A prime example I currently work for a kitchen company and on a daily basis visit 7-10 customers a day at their home. To me this is 7-10 opportunities to network and get to meet people outside of my city and within different industries. I refer back to my 3 second rule, I also use this to judge the room so I understand if a conversation can open up about what else I do on the side and how open they will be in the hour I spend within their home. 70% of the time the conversation does develop into something even if its just simply getting their email or website. Recently I networked with a film maker who is currently looking for work and since the launch of my new company (Tailored Content Solutions) is the perfect time to have someone like this available by simply asking for his business card and being myself he was happy to talk in the future about work that the company would need doing. This shows that even when you are at work, don't forget about your long term goal and your side hustle, as long as you show up to your 9-5 and keep yourself out of the bad books you will have more time to talk with people and less time stressing about the pressure of the work place.

Tierneys Top Tip- Networking is vital to the expansion of your goals, as Uncle Phil once said "No one got anywhere without the help of others" You don't have to treat your 9-5 as a prison sentence, allow your true passion & character to come through & the rest will fall into place.

Thanks

T.