WEBVTT - Should you join a networking group?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is about smart questions to ask before you

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<v Speaker 1>commit time or other resources to a networking group. This tip,

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<v Speaker 1>like several others this week, comes from writer and investor J.

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<v Speaker 1>Kelly Hoey's new book, Build Your Dream Network. Most of

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<v Speaker 1>us know we should put time and effort into building

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<v Speaker 1>our networks, but when life gets busy, this is easy

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<v Speaker 1>to shove to the important but not urgent pile that

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<v Speaker 1>doesn't get done. Consequently, people are always looking for quick

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<v Speaker 1>ways to build a network. Professional groups seem to offer

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<v Speaker 1>a convenient option. Rather than building connections one on one,

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<v Speaker 1>you can plug into a whole group of people. You

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<v Speaker 1>can access a group's expertise and connections whenever you need them.

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<v Speaker 1>All you have to do is introduce yourself on a

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<v Speaker 1>chatboard and voila job offers and new clients come streaming in.

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<v Speaker 1>Or at least that's the idea, because anyone who lives

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<v Speaker 1>in the real world will quickly realize that some groups

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<v Speaker 1>are far more functional and helpful than others. Sometimes this

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<v Speaker 1>is objectively true, and other times you just realize that

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<v Speaker 1>your life and career have moved to different places. As

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<v Speaker 1>I spend more time speaking, podcasting, and writing books, I'm

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<v Speaker 1>naturally spending less time pitching magazine articles. So groups devoted

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<v Speaker 1>to that will be less useful to me, even if

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<v Speaker 1>they're massively useful to someone whose career is more focused

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<v Speaker 1>on that activity. And with anything, you have to put

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<v Speaker 1>effort in in order to get results out or as

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<v Speaker 1>how he writes, as you've likely realized at this point,

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<v Speaker 1>there is no magic time saving bullet for building strong

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<v Speaker 1>connections other than being smarter by taking control of the

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<v Speaker 1>networking process and your intended outcomes. So if you find

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<v Speaker 1>yourself naturally joining stuff for always saying yes when people ask,

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<v Speaker 1>you might try asking a few questions before you commit time, money,

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<v Speaker 1>or energy to a particular networking group. Here's what always suggests. First,

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<v Speaker 1>ask yourself why what is it you are trying to

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<v Speaker 1>achieve that is your goal and why is this the

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<v Speaker 1>group or community to help you achieve it. Second, what's

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<v Speaker 1>the focus for the group social or business? Long term

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<v Speaker 1>business growth or short term projects and how does that

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<v Speaker 1>align with your goal? Third, check the rules of engagement.

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<v Speaker 1>Can you reach your goal within their system or structure. Fourth,

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<v Speaker 1>what's the group's track record? Does it align with the

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<v Speaker 1>current promise of membership and lay a strong foundation for

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<v Speaker 1>ongoing delivery of its commitments to members? Five? Do the

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<v Speaker 1>individual members of the group share the networking culture of

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<v Speaker 1>the group? Six? Do you have the slightest interest in

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<v Speaker 1>or passion for the group beyond seeing it as a

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<v Speaker 1>vehicle to achieve your goal? And finally, is there a

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<v Speaker 1>platform online or off where the group can convene and

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<v Speaker 1>share ideas. These are all smart questions to ask. If

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<v Speaker 1>multiple people independently sing the praises of the networking group

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<v Speaker 1>and what it's helped them achieve, that's a good sign.

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<v Speaker 1>If your initial research has you finding that, yes, the

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<v Speaker 1>professional stuff is great, and you also love that there

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<v Speaker 1>are meaningful volunteer opportunities organized every month, ones you'd be

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<v Speaker 1>excited to participate in, well that's a good sign too.

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<v Speaker 1>A robust email discussion group or Facebook group indicates that

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<v Speaker 1>people put energy into this enterprise. But if there is

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<v Speaker 1>one loan post every week or so and it's always

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<v Speaker 1>a request, maybe best to move on and put your

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<v Speaker 1>energy elsewhere because time is limited, and that's true for

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<v Speaker 1>networking groups like anything else. So ask the right questions

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<v Speaker 1>before you just wind up disappointed. In the meantime, this

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<v Speaker 1>is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making the

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<v Speaker 1>most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear

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<v Speaker 1>from you. You can send me your tips, your questions,

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<v Speaker 1>or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook

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<v Speaker 1>and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod that's B the number four,

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<v Speaker 1>then Breakfast p o D. You can also shoot me

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<v Speaker 1>an email at Before Breakfast podcast at iHeart media dot

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<v Speaker 1>com that Before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks so much, I look forward to staying in touch.

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast is a production of I Heart Radio. For

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