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If it’s not in writing then it doesn’t exist. This is a mantra I live by and one that I have espoused in any job or role I’ve ever had. I learned it quickly in business and believe it to be true. That logic follows for setting your networking goals for 2021 and beyond.
If you want to get focussed and strategic about your networking, you need to reflect on your goals and what a successful outcome might look like.
Perhaps There Is More to Networking Than Just Developing Sales
If you’ve never done this before, you’re probably thinking that you don’t know where to start or would simply answer that you want more sales.
But what if there was more to what you could get out of networking and that your goals each year might evolve and morph with your business growth?
What if your goals changed with your personal aspirations and with your circumstances?
What then? What would you list look like then?
A Few Ideas to Get Your Creative Juices Flowing
To give you some ideas of what networking goals might look like, I’ve compiled a listing of potential networking goals.
It’s not exhaustive, but I hope it’ll give you a start to consider why networking can achieve so many different goals and objectives.
These span your personal and professional needs. I hope you’ll broaden how you reflect and think about it setting your goals for next year.
Are They S.M.A.R.T.E.R Goals?
Most business coaches will probably go running for the comment box or red pen to inform me that I haven’t created a SMART Goals format? So just to let you all know that I’m aware of this.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with this acronym SMARTER – it stands for:
- S – Specific
- M – Measurable
- A – Achieveable or Attainable
- R – Realistic or Relevant
- T – Timebound
- E – Evaluate
- R – Re-adjust
Most people struggle with defining SMART or SMARTER goals, but it is good to understand the philosophy behind them.
There is a train of thought out there that says that if you really think deep about what you want to see happen in your business, you’ll be able to measure it in order to see if you are successful or not.
You’ll ensure that the goal is achieveable and by default, it’ll be both relevant and realistic.
Timebound means you need to put a date by when you are going to achieve the afore-mentioned goal.
When you set out to see whether your goals have been reached, you can evaluate and if necessary, you can re-adjust.
The Networking Goals 2021 Guide
My little guide is quick and painless to complete. I start by asking you to reflect on why you are networking and what you want to achieve at a general level. You need to get in touch with your thoughts and aspirations.
From there, I give you a list of 22 goals that might be relevant to you.
Some won’t be. Some will be. Some will be ones you didn’t consider or put under the banner of ‘networking goals’ before.
And that’s exactly the point. Networking brings so many benefits to the table that aren’t readily considered, measured or kept top of mind.
Access My Networking Goals 2021 Guide Now
To access and download my free ‘Networking Goals 2021’ guide, you can register your email here.
My Contacts
If you have other ideas and suggestions, I’d love to hear them. You can reach out to me at hello@networkingjean.ie.
Getting Social
And do connect in with me on Linkedin and Instagram. (I’m also on Twitter and Pinterest)
Let’s keep the #networking conversation going!
Mailing List
You can join my mailing list too and I’d love to have you on board.
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