Business Round Table
Networking in person
by Cheryl Baumgartner Medical Billing/Coding/Insurance
Cheryl Baumgartner 
Medical...
We are all involved in online networking. It's wonderful for meeting people from all over the world and getting to know them but do you do any in person networking? I've been getting more and more involved with in person networking lately.
There are some advantages to networking in person. I really like the fact that I can meet face to face and and get to know contacts on a personal level. The people I meet introduce me to others they know and I do the same. Being fairly new to a large city, this is very important. But I have learned one thing, avoid the large groups.
A large group may seem great on the surface but for me it creates a lot of stress in trying to meet everyone. In smaller groups you have the opportunity to chat with others and learn a bit about them, just as they get to learn a bit about you.
To contrast the difference between the two. I'm part of a loosely organized Friday luncheon that regularly draws 70+. Yes that's a lot of contacts available but you cannot really build a relationship or the beginnings of a relationship in the time alloted. You end up being a name on a card. On the other hand a group of about 20 people allows you to spend a bit of time with each person, and that's where you build the relationship. By communicating, not by handing out a business card. I won't tell you how many business cards I have and know nothing about the person who gave it to me or the business they are in.
Just like anything else building a relationship takes time. Try visiting one of the smaller networking groups locally in your area. Online marketing is great but don't pass over what is in your own backyard.
Oct 4th 2007 15:08
Medical...We are all involved in online networking. It's wonderful for meeting people from all over the world and getting to know them but do you do any in person networking? I've been getting more and more involved with in person networking lately.
There are some advantages to networking in person. I really like the fact that I can meet face to face and and get to know contacts on a personal level. The people I meet introduce me to others they know and I do the same. Being fairly new to a large city, this is very important. But I have learned one thing, avoid the large groups.
A large group may seem great on the surface but for me it creates a lot of stress in trying to meet everyone. In smaller groups you have the opportunity to chat with others and learn a bit about them, just as they get to learn a bit about you.
To contrast the difference between the two. I'm part of a loosely organized Friday luncheon that regularly draws 70+. Yes that's a lot of contacts available but you cannot really build a relationship or the beginnings of a relationship in the time alloted. You end up being a name on a card. On the other hand a group of about 20 people allows you to spend a bit of time with each person, and that's where you build the relationship. By communicating, not by handing out a business card. I won't tell you how many business cards I have and know nothing about the person who gave it to me or the business they are in.
Just like anything else building a relationship takes time. Try visiting one of the smaller networking groups locally in your area. Online marketing is great but don't pass over what is in your own backyard.
Oct 4th 2007 15:08
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