onlinenetworking

In the early 1980's, John Naisbitt wrote in Megatrends about the emerging importance of the networking process in society. Later, Tom Peters wrote in Thriving on Chaos that this "process can be systematized."

When you stop to think about it, these two statements weren't made all that long ago. Networking and relationship marketing is a fairly new kid on the block. From the mid 80's to the 90's, systems and structures began to emerge that shifted a lot of business owners from a single-minded focus of direct selling to a broader scope which included relationship marketing and networking.

There are several emerging issues and trends surrounding the process of networking that are being created out of the need to find an effective way to develop business for entrepreneurs and sales people in this new century. I will address three of the most prominent trends that I believe will become more important in the coming years.

1. Online AND face-to-face networking will both continue to flourish.

I'm a proponent of online networks like Ecademy.com and others. I think they will continue to grow successfully and help many of their members; however, they are not the final answer to business marketing or to networking. They are another great tool for people to connect with others (especially outside their local geographic area).

Referrals are, and will be for the foreseeable future, all about relationships. Whether they are relationships built online or face to face - they will still involve relationships. People refer people they know and trust. They will not regularly refer someone just because they are listed on a website - that's called advertising, not networking.

Online networking works, but relationships must still be part of the process. Using the internet to exchange ideas, share knowledge and increase your visibility will be imperative in the coming years. Virtual networking is a trend that is really catching on in many circles. Some people involved in face-to-face networking feel threatened, as if online networking is going to replace their tried and true system.

Those who foretell the demise of face-to-face networking fail to note one important thing... the facts. Face-to-face networking groups continue to expand. The growth rate of my own referral networking organization, BNI (www.bni.com), bears this out. Since the internet first became popular in the mid 90's, BNI has experienced a 1,186% growth rate. That is NOT a typo!

The more "high tech" business owners become, the more and more they really need to foster those "high touch" opportunities that face-to-face networking affords.

Virtual networking can be an effective way to increase your business and the internet can certainly be a great tool for staying in touch with those with whom you are currently networking, but I don't think it will replace face-to-face networking in our lifetime.

Technology flattens the communication hierarchy and provides opportunities to improve your networking efforts - not replace them. I believe people who understand this will begin to effectively utilize technology without replacing relationships to take their marketing to new levels in the years to come.

2. Networking & Social Capital Education.

Don't hold your breath for the colleges and universities of the world to begin teaching networking and social capital. At this point there are only two colleges in the world that offer regular, core-curriculum college courses on networking and social capital. One is at Davis College in Ohio taught by Debby Peters and the other is at the University of Michigan taught by Wayne Baker. That's it - two colleges!

The college and university systems are behemoths of bureaucracy that are so far behind the curve of small business development that I'm beginning to despair that they will ever catch on. Most professors have never had a real job in the business world and are completely out of touch with what is happening in real life, especially in small business.