For as long as I can remember, I have been a networker. My family was recently going through some old photos, cards, etc and ran across a love letter I wrote to “Kim” back in fifth grade. The letter told her that I really liked her and asked if she liked me…followed by a box to check for YES and a box to check for NO.

But here is where the networker in me came out. After the check boxes, I wrote that if she checked NO, that I would recommend Shawn or Eric. I knew them to be pretty good guys and thought that if she didn’t like me, she should at least check one of them out instead!

To me, networking is much more than just accumulating contacts for personal gain. Networking is bringing people together for mutual gain - even if I am not one of the “people” that is brought together. Although making personal contacts is essential for gaining new business, bringing others together can also be very rewarding.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the Top 10 benefits of Networking:

1 - Meet new people. When you attend networking events you have the opportunity to meet several new people. Take advantage of this time and do not just hang out with the people that you already know.

2 - Information gain. Networking with new people gives you the opportunity to learn more about many, many things such as: new products, new services, new technology, new resources, upcoming events, community concerns, community needs and countless other topics.

3 - Visibility. Networking keeps you and your business in the forefront of people’s mind. This is essential if you want to be the first - if not only - person they think of whenever they need your product or service.

4 - Opportunities. Through networking, you can learn about potential opportunities for new business that your competition won’t, or at least before they do.

5 - Untouchables. Networking with your contacts, clients, customers, and the new people you meet increases your ability or odds of getting a face-to-face meeting or introduction to someone that you may have been struggling to meet. You never know if that hard to reach VIP is a neighbor or a golfing buddy of someone in your network.

6 - Resource. A byproduct of effective networking is becoming a resource for others. The more people you know, and know well, the more you will be able to help others that may be in search of a particular product or resource. This leads to the next benefit…

7 - Trusted Advisor. Once you become the person to call or go to for information, contacts and advice, you’ve positioned yourself to be a Trusted Advisor - not only in general, but also in the area in which you personally sell.

8 - Referrals. One of the more obvious benefits of networking is referrals. Personally, I get as much satisfaction in giving a referral that leads to a sale as I do excitement in receiving a referral that leads to a sale.

9 - Responsibility. One of my most favorite quotes is “If you have the ability to take action, you have the responsibility to take action.” As your network grows and you make the commitment to being an effective and proactive networker, you have a certain level of responsibility to look for opportunities to pass referrals - not by obligation, but through opportunity.

10 - Having FUN! Although networking has definite business and professional benefits, it can also be a lot of fun. Meeting new people and passing referrals to them, your network and your customers can be fun and addictive.

BONUS - Karma. You may also know this as “What comes around, goes around,” Givers Gain or the Law of Reciprocity. No matter what you call it, it is very real. The more you help others and the more you pass referrals, the more it will come back to you. And usually it is greater than the level in which you gave. Try it and see for yourself. (Then let me know how it went!)

Not only are there several benefits to networking, there are also infinite ways and opportunities that you can network as well. Some of the more common ways are through organizations that are designed to help facilitate networking such as Chambers of Commerce and trade associations like the Home Builders Association and others like it. There are also groups that meet regularly and specifically to network and pass referrals.

Other networking opportunities include trade shows and business expos. You can sponsor a hole at a golf tournament and staff a table at the hole in addition to just having a sign with your logo on it. Networking opportunities can be as numerous as the people you can meet. Be creative with it and have some fun.

There are also some indirect networking opportunities. While you may join a local community organization like The Optimist Club, Rotary, Kiwanis or countless other groups for the opportunity to volunteer, give back and support a particular cause, these groups also offer opportunities to build both your personal and business networks.

There may be other benefits of networking and they may be different from one person to the next, but regardless of what the benefits are for you, there is no denying that there is Power in Networking.