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Being successful at networking requires more than just a smite and an extensive database. Successful networking is a state of mind, an attitude. Even though networking is often defined as cultivating clients, the attitude that leads to success is one of giving, not getting.
The selfish networker When this person enters a room full of people, they view everyone as a potential customer. The conversation is slanted to selling whatever it is they do. They have success, but it's limited. The person has to meet a lot of people to get results.
The successful networker This person enters a room and sees people who need to be connected with other people. The conversation is geared to finding out what people need and then determining if she knows someone else who can provide it. If that person turns out to be her, it's all the better. But the key here is that she doesn't go into the situation with that end in mind.
Once this attitude is adopted, there are three steps to make networking beneficial: process, place and practice.
Process Process refers to how and why you...