Networking, influencing and selling: vital skills in seeding opportunities.
As discussed in the negotiated enterprise theme, the interpersonal skills of networking are highly important in finding, exploring and resourcing opportunities. You may find it helpful to look back at your answers to the questions in the sub-theme of 'Engagement in networks of external relationships' and your self-assessment in the capability cluster of interpersonal interaction'.
Entrepreneurial effectiveness does depend to a significant extent on being able to develop and utilise networks of contacts. This is not about simply having a world-class collection of business cards or e-mail addresses, or sending hundreds of Christmas cards, or even being a compulsive attender of business breakfast meetings, networking events or parties, although some of these may be useful in generating and maintaining contacts. Effective networking is constructing and participating in a world of social connections to create new opportunities and enable existing opportunities to be taken forward. Even reserved people, who may not feel comfortable in social gatherings, can do this.
Effective entrepreneurial networking depends on a number of behaviours which are outlined below.