Jim Pirrie | Networking for Professionals Workshop | Build Effective Business Relationships

"The aim is to equip attendees with the skills to reap the rewards of networking in all its forms, to make the business more effective and to build a strong professional profile..."

Why Does This Workshop Matter?

"Just the idea of standing there alone in a room full of people I don't know makes me cringe." "Awkward conversations, bad sandwiches and worse coffee. No thanks." "I dread being trapped by some over-confident, self-obsessed bore trying to sell me stuff." "I can't see the point – I'm not in sales anyway."

Networking is much misunderstood – and undervalued – by many, sometimes including those who offer networking training courses!

The common assumption is that 'networking' basically means 'looking for business': learning how to behave at a conference or a networking meeting where you might make a few useful contacts with a view to perhaps one day uncovering a business opportunity.

Yet much of the value of networking comes from building relationships within your business, with suppliers, with your peers in the industry and even perhaps with existing customers.

So forget sales for a moment. Networking within the business and across the industry is a critical skill for business professional, both in terms of business effectiveness and career progression.

The business wins because things get done more smoothly and new opportunities arise:

Informal conversations can highlight potential issues before the formal channels are aware. get things moving when formal processes get stuck.
Personal relationships can get things moving when formal processes get stuck.
Networking contacts may be able to refer pre-qualified, potentially ideal candidates for vacancies and new roles.
The process of building relationships often uncovers opportunities for collaboration and cooperation.
And, yes, the process of building relationships may also uncover opportunities for doing business.

The individual wins because their industry knowledge deepens and broadens, and their professional profile is enhanced both within the business and in the wider industry:

You can stay closely connected with industry developments and trends.
You build an invaluable source of technical, industry and commercial expertise.
More visibility means you might be better positioned for the next promotion, the next plum project or the next professional development opportunity.
The experience of reaching out to people, striking up conversations and building relationships helps to build a strong sense of confidence and self-assurance.

So the business benefits of networking go way beyond making sales.

But all this is only possible when people in the business are equipped with the confidence, skills and insights to embrace the networking opportunity in all its forms.

This workshop aims to give the business professionals in your organisation those skills, and make networking a consistent, purposeful activity to the benefit of both themselves and your business.

What Makes This Workshop Special?

Many years experience leading leading cross-functional, multi-disciplinary, inter-departmental teams in defence, aerospace and telecoms has shown Jim first-hand the vital role informal relationships play in making things happen smoothly in even the most controlled business environments. And twenty years running his own training consultancy has demonstrated beyond any doubt the importance of personal relationships in growing a business: networking, formal and informal, has led to business opportunities with prestigious organisations all over the world.

As well as his first-hand experience of the power of the network, Jim also brings a wide range of approaches to help build the confidence to read a room, join conversational groups, initiate conversations, build relationships and purposefully build a strong professional network both within your organisation ansd across your industry.

This workshop goes way beyond networking to make sales. The aim is to equip attendees with the skills to reap the rewards of networking in all its forms to make the business more effective and to build a strong professional profile.

Who Is This Workshop For?

This workshop is for business professional who wish to take a purposeful and consistent approach to building their professional network:

To help make things happen in their orgaanisation.
To strengthen relationships with clients and suppliers.
To be open to potential opportunities to collaborate or cooperate.
To deepen and broaden their industry expertise.
To build s strong professional profile within the business and the industry.
To potentially uncover business opportunities.

What Difference Will It Make?

'Networking' just means connecting purposefully with people who share a common interest, or a common goal, who you get on with, and staying connected with them because you might be able to help each other out one day. No rush. No expectation.

So the first thing to say is that this workshop will completely reframe how you think about networking. We will explore all its forms, not just meeting and mingling, and not just as a vehicle for making sales.

You will come to understand networking within and around your own organisation, and how that can help make things happen much more effectively – as well as raising your own profile.

You will come to understand networking within your industry to stay current and informed.

Naturally, we can't ignore the need to 'network' at events, so we will explore how to be effective in those environments too.

And you will learn how to use LinkedIn to support and enhance your networking activities.

Networking strikes fear into the heart of many. They've been led to believe it's about walking into a room full of strangers who all seem to know each other and standing there on your own like a lemon, with a cup of bad coffee, trying to look interesting and intelligent.

By the end of this workshop you will have a completely different, and much more helpful view. And you'll have your own personal plan for how you are going to develop your networking activities over the coming weeks, months and years.

Workshop Content

Lo.

Networking within and around your own organisation:

Reaching out.
Staying visible.

Networking within your industry:

Where people meet.
Why people connect.
Strategies for connecting.

Networking at events:

Who are you really?
Joining groups.
Striking up conversations.
What to talk about.
What to say when they ask about you.
Active listening.
Assumptions.
Making introductions.
Moving on.

Networking for sales:

To pitch or not to pitch.
Through the room, not to the room.
The slow game.

LinkedIn as a networking tool:

Planning your networking:

Your internal plan.
Your industry plan.

Format and Delivery

This is a highly participative, interactive one-day in-person workshop. Participants will be working together in pairs and small groups in exercises designed to give as full an experience as possible of using of the ideas, tools and strategies in practice.

As well as the trainer sharing content, there will be group discussions and time to reflect on how the ideas, tools and strategies can be integrated into their everyday working activities, and the difference they will make.

There will be 15 minute breaks for coffee and tea, and a 1-hour break for lunch.

Start and end timings for in-house workshops may vary.

Open (public) workshops typically start at 09:30 and end at 16:30, but may vary, so please check your booking for confirmation.

This workshop can be delivered in-house for clients, and may also be made available as an open (public) workshop.

In-house deliveries can be held in a suitable space on the client's premises, or off site.

What's Included

All workshops include:

Workshop handbook

Open (public) workshops also include:

Welcome coffee and pastries
Unlimited tea and coffee
Buffet lunch

Also available as options:

Online group integration coaching to reinforce the learning and help maximise the benefit of the workshop in the working environment.
One-to-one coaching to help develop and deepen these skills.
One-to-one coaching to help prepare for a specific event.

Pricing and Booking

If you would like to run this workshop in-house for your teams, or you have any questions, please contact me on +44(0)20 3397 4407 or [email protected].

If you are interested in open (public) course dates, please let us know or click the button:

Open Workshop Dates and Book Now

AUTHOR, TRAINER & COACH

NETWORKING for PROFESSIONALS