If you never Network your glass will be empty.

Network occasionally and your glass may be half full

If Networking is a way of life you’ll need many glasses.

Whether you are employed, between jobs, 20, 30, 40, 50, or 60 plus, or returning to the work force after children, networking is a critical tool for success.

It’s also critical if you are starting or maintaining a micro business, whether you chose face-to-face networking or via the web.

Here are a few reasons why you might like to actively network.

You want a promotion

You would like a salary raise or an improved package

Searching for a new Job offer

Want to reinvent your career.

You would like to find additional contracts

You want people to have a look at your website

You would like to arrange a meeting with potential clients.

There are a host of other reasons.

Most career opportunities happen while meeting people, whether it’s at business, social or even as a speaker at Rotary, Lions, or other like groups.

Because of a 20 minute speech at a Rotary Club my company, Taking Control Communications, gained a $350,000 communication contract that lasted 18 months.

At a dinner party, a CEO from aged care organisation said, “Please give me a ring on Monday I think I need your services”.

That dinner party started a 10 year contract, which generated significant revenue.

They weren’t flukes.

From those contracts, my mini company of one, me, earned hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of business.

No, I’m not a great salesman, but did learn how to network when to produce a business card.

Asking questions, listening to answers, waiting to be asked what you do and crafting your answers truthfully are the keys.

If you are not networking, then you are not serious about your career, whether it’s as a “tradie”, as a professional, as an independent service provider or if you want to be an internet business giant.

Networking is also an essential if you are out of work.

Many people, however, live in fear of networking. Why?

The most common reason is, “I’m too shy … I couldn’t just walk up to a stranger and start talking to him or her.”

The real answer is they are afraid because they don’t know how to network. They don’t  use a successful process.

Networking isn’t a complicated science.  It’s not a science at all; it’s a very simple process.

The first step is to do research, particularly where and who want to network.

Try not to network the room.

Restrict your networking to a few critical people.  Discover what problems they or their organisation have.

Read the business sections of newspapers, go to business breakfasts, conferences and use the most valuable tool all, websites.

Now you can spend a pile of money or next to nothing  but your time to network.

But whatever you spend, dollars or time, you need to know how.

Remember it’s easy when you know how.

A professional head hunter told me this story.

A few years ago, President Bill Clinton was in town. His hosts held an exclusive business lunch, where 50 high flyers attended at $500 a head, except for nine of Australia’s leading CEOs.

Nine seats were available at the President’s table at $1200 dollars each. The lunch would last for two hours – cost $600 per hour.

John, the head hunter, decided he would pay the $1200 to sit on President Clinton’s table.

Now, John wasn’t their just to listen and talk with Mr Clinton. He was there to connect with one of the CEOs he knew was going to be on that table.

John was head hunting for an international corporate client who want a particular CEO to defect to his company.

He connected with the CEO and earned a handsome $100,000 fee when his target joined his client’s firm. A $1200 investment gave a $100,000 return.

What John did was called Strategic Networking.

Now I’m not suggesting you to have to spend $1200 to network, although a conference could cost that,