Chapter 65
Analyzing the Options
Networking opportunities are everywhere. They are on the subway, in your office elevator, or on the street. Just leaving your house each day makes you eligible for great chance encounters. Everyone has at least one random introduction success story. Keep your head up when you're in public, be open to meeting new people, and be aware of potential opportunities.
Since this book is designed to help you develop a proactive networking approach for long-term profitable results, we will leave the chance encounters to chance and focus on the formalized options that can help you build your network.
The more involved you become, the more you will notice an increase in invitations and requests for support. Using your focus board will allow you to choose the best activities for you.
As you develop your professional network, you will find what works for you and what activities you truly enjoy. Below are some perspectives on various networking opportunities to help you make decisions about how to best invest your time and money. As a rule of thumb, the later in the day you network, the more expensive it is and the larger the time investment. For example: breakfast is cheaper than lunch, lunch is cheaper than after-work drinks, drinks are cheaper than dinner, and dinner is cheaper than entertaining clients at an evening event such as the theater or a hockey game.
A good mix of all of these options is ideal, with more time and money being invested with those whom ...
