Building your Power Through Networking

Posted on July 04, 2014 by Emily Correa, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.

Networking is one of the MOST important skills one can develop through coaching, and definitely something to not be ignored if you wish to succeed in the world of arts + entertainment!

The entertainment industry is all about “who you know” or in other words, RELATIONSHIPS.

It’s frankly…a people business, showcasing people’s talents…to…PEOPLE.

Therefore one must appreciate the point of networking and get out there! lol! But there is a difference between good and bad networking, and I will share my own networking tips in this week’s blog.

Some people see networking in a negative way, when as an artist or entertainer (or just about anyone) it is NOT meant to be!

Effective networking is all about connecting with the right type + right amount of people in a social setting.

It is NOT about meeting every single person in the room and chatting it up selling one’s services. I tried this and it doesn’t work.

Actually years ago I was too afraid to network by myself at events. I just wouldn’t do it…and my network was WAY smaller. I was in college, focusing on my degrees. My sister; a youth career coach started inviting me to prestigious events in Boston at the areas colleges. These events were related to women empowerment, diversity, and Latino and business topics. How could I say no?

Being the social butterfly that she is, her network is massive because of her incredible networking skills! I would learn tremendous about the topic from her, and got my practice through her lovely introductions to her amazing connections.

One day I got invited to an entrepreneur’s networking event at my graduate school and had invited my sister to attend with me. It was my turn! I was excited about this event…I wanted to submit a business idea in a contest but had to attend this event first, and was excited to meet the potential judges to discuss the rules for submission.

The day came, I was dressed and on my way to attend..then she called out on me! She couldn’t attend due to a last minute client meeting and I had to go to this event ALL BY MYSELF, which totally freaked me out.

But I summoned up the courage and went anyways and there were probably 100 people in attendance.

I was pretty surprised that I could handle it on my own. It was actually FUN being the observer and learning about the world of the entrepreneur on my own. Then an amazing opportunity happened! The CEO of Dunkin Donuts showed up and was revealing his life story and success philosophy that made him a multimillionaire. This fascinated me…The room was full of the crackling energy of very bright student entrepreneurs and it absolutely inspired me. Overall, we spent a couple hours learning from the inspirational stories of several speakers and I realized that ONE word said..one sentence heard..can change a person’s life.

At this moment, I KNEW more than any other moment, that I was THIS KIND OF PERSON…an entrepreneur. It was life-changing for me to realize that everything shared about being a business owner was exactly the TYPE of PERSON I WAS..I felt so blessed. And I would have NEVER had this moment if I had wimped out because my sister couldn’t attend.

Now years later I have over 1200 connections on Linkedin (your network is your “power”) and over 1,100 friends, and 70 followers on FB. I absolutely LOVE networking on my own…and even host a 300+ member artists group called NYC Artists on the Rise! Meeting new people excites me and NYC is the place for me!

I have been to COUNTLESS networking events since then on my own, even going to a 4-day Tony Robbins boot camp last November where 5,000 entrepreneurs, CEOS and success-thinkers attended.

The point is NETWORKING is worth it and enhances one’s leadership presence. It boosts your reach, sharpens the mind, and helps you build true business and personal relationships effectively.

BUT in my experience, there is GOOD and BAD networking.

Successful people DO NOT WASTE a lot of their time as TIME is money on top of that!

So here are several networking tips to help you along:

Go to the event with the best cards you can afford (headshots, portfolios, etc) but don’t try to give it out immediately, build a rapport first

To go to an event without cards is amateurish and comes off as kind of rude (I practically rather not go)

Showing up early is good because you can quickly warm up with small talk, grab a quick bite, greet the hosts, scope the scene and see who walks in

Small Groups, if friendly, is a great opportunity to meet two people at once

Going in 30-minutes to 1 hour after the start of the event is even better (or in the middle of the event, maximum people)

Dress appropriately, preferably upscale nice with some flair whether it’s an entertainment or professional event

Scan the room for key people to connect with…as it’s about QUALITY over QUANTITY despite what some people say

You must read the VIBE or energy of the guests and notice who you feel a “pull towards” (I can coach you to develop this)

This is also about reading body language (crossed arms is bad, smiling and confidence is good, arrogance is bad)

Pinpoint the KEY people RUNNING the event…the HOSTS…those are who you should definitely try to connect with and meet (you see me, come up TO ME…power people DO NOT like to walk up to others)

Do NOT meet everyone…or cut into small groups deep into conversation. It will look fake/artificial, BURN OUT YOU, make your small talk/elevator pitch LESS effective and waste your cards on people who just don’t care

If there is food or a bar there, meet and/or socialize with people in those areas, as it’s a great ice breaker spot and people are friendlier

You are NOT meant to meet everyone, if you have a bad or weird vibe, don’t waste your time

FOLLOW UP afterwards, within 2 days if you can…add that connection to your LINKED IN, FB…send an email…they WILL FORGET YOU OTHERWISE..do not take cards and blow people off as that BURNS BRIDGES

MOST IMPORTANTLY…networking is NOT ABOUT SELLING YOURSELF, BRAGGING, TELLING YOUR WHOLE LIFE STORY

It is about authentically connecting with like-minded, positive, good energy people to discuss supporting EACH OTHER with an alliance, sharing some business tips, or building a long term business/personal RELATIONSHIP

Now effective public speaking is definitely an area I coach on that is a very important part of EFFECTIVE networking.

Do not fear networking artists! It is your LIFE and SO IMPORTANT. Embrace it.

Inspirationally your Muze,

Emily Correa