For men and women in the American business landscape, networking forms the foundation of much business. Regardless of how much you know, who you know still dictates position in this country. Fortunately, the co-working space is an office space solution that focuses on driving the community that supports networking.
In the co-working space, networking would seem like one of the easiest tasks to complete. For one, the organisational pattern of the office primes the pump of much social interaction. Placement of both dedicated and hot desks in an open floor plan promotes social interaction among a diverse range of industries. To see just how some co-working spaces are organised for networking potential, click on the following link: http://www.servcorp.com/en/coworking/.
Keep reading below to learn how you can use the co-working space to network and grow your business connections.
Make Introductions
Use the co-working workspace to your advantage by striking up conversations with those around you. Talk it up at your desk. Talk it up in the lounge. Talk it up in the café. Not that you should be a perpetual pest, but getting to know others around you can break the ice and get you comfortable with working in this environment. Whether it means asking to borrow a pen or intrusively asking a neighbour about their work, find time in the workday to engage in the small talk that leads to bigger, more important conversations.
Teach And Learn
Because you are essentially a part of a community that contains a variety of professions, this is your opportunity to benefit from this encyclopaedia of industry. Furthermore, in engaging these opportunities, you not only get the benefit of learning about the different industries, but this is the chance to establish your own warehouse of information, one that you can draw from as needed. Furthermore, take the opportunity to teach others about your trade. Again, by letting others know exactly what your job entails, you are advertising without exactly advertising your speciality, and why you are an expert tradesman.
Revel In The Diversity
Diversity is your ace in the hole in the business community. By trying to engage with professionals from a wide range of industries, you build on your knowledge base, and it becomes so much easier, and effortless, for you to access resources for your business, and sometimes at a lower cost. Furthermore, by being exposed to a diverse array of industries, you have more autonomy when choosing the types of products and services you need for your business.
Host An Event
Don’t be afraid to engage in public relational activities to spark up networking opportunities. Host events that introduce your products in the co-working space or simple social events that introduce you to the co-working environment.
For example, if you are a fashion consultant, put on a makeover meeting event where you show professionals in the co-working space how to improve their professional wardrobes to effectively align with their business’s brand. In this way, you formally introduce yourself to the community, and more importantly, you show others your expertise.
Create Collaboration Opportunities
At some point, all of this talking has to translate into the opportunities that will take your business to new levels. Find people within your co-working community that have similar attitudes and brainstorm on ways you can create money-making opportunities. These teams, by the way, can be fluid ones that come together for a purpose and then disband until the next opportunity arises. For maximum earning potential, think about establishing a couple of teams.
Tap Into Your Networking Mojo
By the time you have engaged in all of these activities, you will have gone beyond successfully building your business to become a networking master. While a seemingly easy task, networking can be a chore for business people who disdain the art of small talk. However, numbers don’t lie, and establishing a network is the foundation for future business growth.
