Networking....

"A man with a bigger network, will have bigger networth!" I read the host as saying in an interview with one of the local newspaper.

Last night I had an opportunity to be at one of his dinner parties - where he gathered people of different background but with possibilities of finding similar interests and objectives weaved in the tapestry of their lives. The guest of honour was Tony Buzan, the creator of Mind-map. The host was the CEO of Right Select, Mr Gautam. Amongst the invited guests were professional trainers and business people, a few with their spouses. There were Arabs, British, South African, Indians and yours truly carrrying the sole Malaysian flag. A few of them I have met before but there were a few whom I met for the first time - including the guest of honour!

I learned how to use Mind-Map from reading Tony Buzan's books and have been using the technique for sometimes now. I have written HERE some background about Tony Buzan. To have met him in person was truly an honour.

.

Malaysians in Dubai do social gathering and dinner get together - but more confined to familiar friends. We prefer to mingle with people we already know. Very seldom do we invite business associates and business stake-holders home for dinner. I don't remember doing too much of this when I was in Malaysia either. We are not trained, therefore not comfortable in organizing business networking get together. I think it is a weakness and without intending to, we are actually propagating this weakness to our children. In the future as it is today, business success will depend on relationships but the world will be less and less personal. Relationship will have to be developed between strangers from diversed background, not just confined to birds of the same feathers. Skills to network will be more important than skills to sell. In a competitive world, people will prefer to do business with people they already know. Referrals and testimonies will be more effective than marketing brochures on glossy papers.

.

According to the host, his father had told him about the value of networking when he was attending college. The quotation he had used during the newspaper interviewe was an original quote from his father. In fact during the dinner, I saw how Mr Host Senior effortlessly moved from one individual to the next, joined one small group then the next one - all the time making everyone feel comfortable. He mediated and facilitated small talks. He connected business peoples. Mr Host Junior has been very well trained, for he too was smooth in extending existing conversation topics and always confident and ready to introduce new ones.

What are some of the differences between social networking dinner versus business networking dinner?

For business networking dinner, I find the following points as useful ingredients for success:

1. The list of guests - they vary and change with each occassion according to areas of professional and business interests.
2. The presence of a guest of honour provides an attraction for invited guests to attend. This incentive is important since mostly the invited guests are strangers and they need have a compelling reason to be there.
3. Business people and professionals who are invited have possibilities of finding common areas of interests where convesations can lead to deals.
4. A team of professional waiting staff - to free the hosts from the tasks of cooking and serving to play the role of hosts. Both husband and wife must play hosts!
5. To be effective - have finger foods served during a prolonged reception period. Most conversations happen pre-main course. After dinner, normally people would be thinking of leaving.
6. Invitation time from 7.30pm to 11 pm is most appropriate, with main course served two hours after the first arrival of guests.
7. As hosts, be aware of guests circulation and take steps to ensure movements so that everyone has a chance to be introduced to everyone else. Start off conversations - for you are the only one who know everyone there!
8. For training and exposure purposes, make sure your children are also there to greet all guests and have some conversations with them. The children may excuse themselves and leave after say half-an-hour.

Social networking dinner amongst friends - is more free and easy. We Malaysians are quite an expert in this area. Good formula for success here is to ensure plenty of food!! But must do more of business networking dinner as well - and I am not just talking about tupperware parties!!

If you have not met five new people related to your profession in the last one month, then you are not networking enough!! It is time you make special effort and be proactive in meeting potential new customers, new suppliers, new business partners, potential new bankers, even competitors.