Zdraveĭ from Sofia!

I spent yesterday delivering a 'Power Networking' seminar for business people in Bulgaria.

It was interesting to hear how there are still very few formal networking events in Bulgaria. Certainly awareness of networking groups among the people I spoke to was very low. And this was an audience who came to a seminar focused on networking.

With the huge choice of networking opportunities we face in the UK and in many other countries I've visited, it's easy to forget that formal networking groups are still a fairly young concept, certainly on a mass level. When my father and Michael Stern founded BRE in 1999, only Chambers of Commerce and BNI really had a strong national presence of networking groups.

How times have changed! We've moved from networking being the privilege of the few, revolving around the 'old school tie', to opportunities for everyone to network.

With the increased popularity, of course, comes those who want to shoot it down. I've commented on two articles in the last week, the worst of which was published by Management Today, both of which attack networking. Unfortunately the authors of both articles decided to focus on the worst elements of networking - short-term, inauthentic interactions - rather than to understand the power that networks formed on strong relationships and trust can bring to a business or to an individual's career.

Deriding networking events and groups demonstrates a lack of understanding of their purpose. Of course, we are all better off without networking events where people simply exchange elevator pitches and try to sell to each other. And I'm sure many of us have experience of those. Rather than simply writing off formal groups, let us help the people attending them understand how to participate in the right way.

Networking groups give us an opportunity to both grow our network by meeting people we wouldn't have met otherwise and to see people regularly in person when time is at a premium. In both cases they help us to establish and deepen relationships with people like us, with similar challenges to us or with shared interests. And it is those relationships that form the network that will support us.

Just like 'networkers' who try to pitch their wares in every conversation, people criticising networking groups are looking at them in isolation and fail to understand their role.

I, for one, hope that networking groups become much more commonplace in Bulgaria sooner rather than later. They provide an essential piece to the jigsaw of building strong connections and should be treasured, not attacked.

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I'll be back in the UK for just a fortnight before heading out on my travels again. Thank you for the response to my comments in the last edition of 'Connecting is not Enough', I've had some excellent introductions to people in Chicago and I'm looking forward to meeting them.

If you're based in the Windy City, or you know people who are, I'll be speaking at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology on Thursday 20th November and guests are welcome.

You can find all of the details here.

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What is stopping you from building the strongest network possible and getting the help and support you need from that network?

I'm still looking for responses to my survey of the biggest challenges faced by people who want to network more effectively. The initial responses have been very interesting and I plan to offer a series of short free webinars or Google Hangouts, where I'll address the most popular challenges and answer your questions.

So please help me by taking a few minutes to answer the questions in the survey and let me know what's stopping you.

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I hope you enjoy the newsletter and look forward to your feedback. Please do check out the blogs listed on the right hand side of the page for lots of extra ideas, tips and thoughts.

Let me know what you think.

If you're serious about developing a networking and referrals strategy that can take your business to a new level, or you are interested in booking me for a speech or training session for your team, find out more details on our website or you can contact me on:

Tel: 07930 417833

Email: andy@lopata.co.uk

Skype: andylopata

I look forward to hearing from you.

Andy

Video Tip: Networking in your clients' industries

We're all aware of the importance of networking for sales, but how much of your time and energy do you focus on networking for knowledge? Specifically, are you developing networks to tell you what your clients and your prospects are thinking, what their challenges are and what you need to say when you're sat in front of them?

In my talk on networking strategy in Iran earlier this year I talked about the importance of connecting to learn.

Networking in your clients' industries

Interviewing the Experts: 'Mr. LinkedIn'

Last year I met Mark Williams, also known as Mr. LinkedIn, and asked him for his top tips on using the social network

Making the most of LinkedIn

Mark publishes an excellent weekly podcast on LinkedIn. Click here for the show in the iTunes store.

Just for Fun: Sting Tones

Former Police frontman Sting appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon in the US. This is what happened when asked to sing various ring tones and then leave an audience member with a 'Message on his Voicemail'.