The Necessity of Networking in Construction Today

Networking is both art and skill very similar to so many proficiencies we are required to have in our business.  Yet most do not really understand it, nor do we utilize it properly.

Networking is not….

1. Show me your contact list and I will show you mine.
2. Getting together to talk about what you can do for me.
3. Showing up at a function or two every year expecting the world to be laid at your feet.
4. Letting the marketing department handle it.

Let me share a couple of my own experiences with you.   About 15 years ago I was the project manager on a building in town.  The client was tough…(aren’t they all).  In fact so tough my superintendent quit midway and changed careers!  Somehow the client and I managed to maintain our relationship and the project finished well.  I continued to stay in touch periodically just to check in , making sure he didn’t have any issues with the building, and even though I was no longer an employee of the company , offering  my help whenever I could.  Now why would I do that?  Well, honestly, I do not know.  At the time, I did it anyway.  In return, he offered me the use of his conference room (a handcrafted beauty) whenever I needed it, and last year, he called our company to build out his remodel on the first floor. In retrospect, I guess that’s why I did it.   Now I am not telling you this because I am a networking genius.    I am telling you this because I am, (or was ) a networking moron.  In those same 15 years or so, I had over 200 happy clients like that, 9/10^th of whose information I don’t even have in my Outlook, let alone have any record of contacting them EVER!  That’s right…I said moron!  If I could get that type of results by staying in touch with one client, imagine what could have been gained offering the same type of extended service to all my other clients.  (This is the part where one slaps their forehead with the heel of their hand exclaiming ‘ What was I thinking?’ ) I know of several excellent Business Developers who make a habit of always staying connected to contacts, even when those contacts change jobs.  In one case, the BD reached out to help her former client find a job. In the end, that former client returned the favor in the form of an 8 million dollar project.

The Lessons:

1. Once connected…..stay connected.
2. Bring value first- Networking is about giving first…getting second.

Here is another gem.  How many of you by a show of hands (don’t worry, no one is watching)  got your proverbial keyster  handed to you during this last economic tsunami?  It could have been either through loss of a job or, as an owner, a loss of significant revenue?  ……Don’t be shy.  In case you can’t see me, I am the one waving my hand in the air like Horshak from Welcome Back Kotter.   (Too young to remember Horshak?  Google it !)

So what did you do….As an EX-employee did you send your resume out to email oblivion, or did you reach out to your vast network of people (whom you have assisted in the past..remember – Bring Value) who then immediately became your biggest search engine?

As a business owner did you immediately start studying CDC or Dodge (like me)  joining the millions of hungry ants pouncing on cookie crumbs or did you depend on your vast and ever-growing network of people that you  brought value to, and whose trust you have won for life in order to expand your marketing horizons?

Is it hard work to continually create and maintain all those relationships?  You bet it is.   But starving or talking to your bank about late mortgage payments is harder.  Trust me.

The Lessons – Same as before

1. Once connected. Stay connected
2. Bring value first!

Earlier we mentioned that today’s networking is both a skill and an art.  I can tell you that I am a convert and a true student of the game. I am also a ‘first day in training camp’ rookie! But every rookie needs a good coach.  Here are my suggestions.  There are two excellent books on the subject.

First-

Networking is a Contact Sport by Joe Sweeny:   An outstanding book by a natural born networker.  As he said in his book, Joe had to master some important networking skills at a very young age being the youngest of nine boys in the family.

Some Take Aways from the book:

- Joe’s 5/10/15 rule for networking daily.   It translates to 5 meetings or encounters (meeting someone new in line at Starbucks counts), 10 letters (emails count) and 15 phone calls per day.  This is a very difficult regimen with a big payoff.

-When attending a function where you don’t know anyone, act like you belong there and take the role of host.

-Joe  has over 3000 active contacts, any one of whom he could call at a moment’s notice as if he had just spoken to them the day before.  This is because of his ‘gardening’ philosophy when it comes to networking.  You don’t just plant the seeds.  You have to aerate, water and fertilize always.

Second-

The Little Black Book of Connections by Jeffrey Gitomer:  This is the kind of book where you read a few pages and your hair looks like you just took a ride in a convertible on the Pacific Highway.  Jeff Gitomer is a human networking blow torch.   He gets to the point and he gets there fast.

Some Take Aways from the book:

-Jeffery says “All things being equal, people want to do business with their friends. All things being not so equal, people still want to do business with their friends. “

- “The rule of Drool”-  Don’t slobber when meeting important people.  Jeffery offers two big tips on how to meet the CEO.   He talks about bringing value (sound familiar) and doing your homework.

- Having the courage to connect-   How to overcome the fear of rejection and boost low self esteem in order ‘to get to who you need to get to’.

The bottom line is this.   Anyone in our business who thinks that the work alone will speak for itself is mistaken. Is my steel beam better than yours?  Does my drywall hanging and finishing have a certain flair to it that makes it my own?  Maybe I will sign the next few boards I hang.  There are over a million licensed General Contractors in the State of Florida and God knows how many in the country.  Most of them know the job pretty well.   So how do you get ahead of the pack and stay there……     It is all about  creating relationships and keeping them.  It’s all about the network!!

It is said that you only get one chance to make a good first impression.  That is true, and a great networker will take every chance to make that good first impression LAST.

Until next time….. Have an outstanding month! (Because you planned it that way)

James P. Ginopoulos (Gino)

Owner
Great Patriot Construction Services