FT Guide to Business Networking
How to use the power of online and offline networking for business success
If you’re a busy professional, networking is the fastest and most effective way to
build your business or career. Networking is a skill you can’t afford to be without. But
what’s the best way to do it?
The Financial Times Guide to Business Networking is your definitive
introduction to a joined-up networking strategy that really works.
Joined-up networking is the most effective way to win more business, climb the
career ladder or set up and grow your own business.
In this book, professional networker Heather Townsend guides you through
everything you need to know to get the most out of both face-to-face and online
networking.
Heather Townsend is a performance improvement specialist for
professional services, widely published writer and social media expert. Over the past
decade, Heather has worked with more than one hundred partners, coached and trained over
1000 lawyers, accountants and other professionals at every level, within the UK’s
leading and most ambitious professional practices. She is the UK’s foremost expert on
how business people can build meaningful and profitable relationships via social media.
Table of Contents
Introduction
This book is written so you can either read the book cover to cover, or dip in and out.
At the end of each chapter are:
- Exercises for you to do to put into practice what you have just learnt
- Links and references to further resources
The book is split into four discreet parts:
Part 1
Part 1 concentrates on the thinking behind a successful approach to business
networking.
In this section we explore:
- What networking is and isn’t
- The four ingredients needed for a successful joined up networking strategy
- The behaviours and attitudes of great networkers
Part 2
Part 2 identifies all the different types of networking available today, and
how to maximise your effectiveness with each type.
In this section you will discover:
- Where and when you should network online or in person
- How to make best use of your time when networking regardless of where you are
networking
- The pros and cons of each different type of networking
- How to use your blog to increase the impact of your networking
Part 3
Part 3 helps you acquire the necessary skills to excel as a networker.
You will find out how to:
- Make a great first impression with everyone you meet
- Effectively work a room
- Create a connection and start a positive relationship with everyone you meet –
regardless of where you meet them or their cultural background
- Turn your network into your own online community
- Use a checklist to help you network efficiently
Part 4
Part 4 brings together everything you have learnt, and prompts you to devise
your own successful joined up networking strategy and plan.
You will learn how to:
- Set your own networking goals to generate the business and career success you
need
- Measure the progress you are making with your networking activities
- Decide who you need to recruit into your network
- Make the most of the time and resources you have available to network
At the end of the book you will find a section on additional resources to help you
continue your networking journey,
such as:
- Suggested books and blogs on different aspects of networking
- Contact details for networking groups
- Instructions to download worksheets and templates referenced in this book
224 pages, Paperback