The Venture is one of the biz blogs that I read and recommend. It’s a old article but well worth reading.

Tony Featherstone writes in ‘easy to work with’ language and his blog post from April 9th 2010 was titled, ‘Networking for shy people’ Click here to read the whole article.

His main points were:

1.   Be yourself
2.   Plan your network
3.   Have a networking routine
4.   Listen
5.   Be prepared
6.   Less is more
7.   Give without asking
8.   Don’t waste time
9.   Don’t annoy people with technology
10. Don’t give too much

I absolutely concur particularly with his point no. 2 & 3. It’s crucial to have a plan and routine that you are comfortable with.

I advise my clients to target networking to their industry and sometimes even to their product/s. Which also means that you can change networking oportunities and functions as your business grows and your focus alters. Don’t even forget that you’re the driver, not any organisation or group. The opportunities are there to assist not dictate to your time.

Remember that I can create a targeted plan for you if you need any pointers.

Enjoy!