I was enjoying a conversation with Sam. He’s excited by the prospects of winning new business through his new-discovered network.
I want to be an achiever Charlie. If we’re achieving through sales then we’re contributing to the success of the business, right?
Admirable Sam, but to achieve, we first need to understand the process.
A tenuous example may be the game of cricket, Sam.
No, that’s not for me, what’s that about Charlie?
OK, one team scores as many runs as they can with the bat, while the opposite team tries to stop them by hitting their stumps with the ball, catching them out, or at least restrict the run rate. At ‘half time’ they swap roles and go again. At the end of the allotted time frame, the team with the highest amount of runs goes on and wins the game. Simple, eh?
If I could be bothered to understand it Charlie … runs?
Exactly, O.K. Sam, Let’s try Rugby.
I know you appreciate a good game and so you understand that for each different opponent we have a plan.
The aim is to be victorious, get a result by following a game plan. The entire team understands that the result is important, BUT there needs to be a plan. In Rugby, if you keep the ball long enough through team skills, you infiltrate your opponent’s territory. Keeping possession of the ball and utilising skills that enable your team to move the ball beyond the final defender, you score points. If we repeat this more than the opposition, we win.
By thinking process, we win the game, we get the result.
I’ve got that Charlie … but what’s it got to do with networking? Or business?
Sam, if we understand the game and the process by which we can achieve a win, then we can make an impression.
Networking is much maligned at times. We see people come and go because they don’t spend time understanding the process. They’re after a quick fix.
As in any team environment, networking is about developing an understanding. People gravitate to those of a like mind, they connect, then the relationships begin to flourish as trust develops.
Good partnerships take time, results come when everyone in your network has an understanding of the process, just like Cricket, or Rugby …
CharlieKenny.me 