Is YOUR Networking Working? by Marc Jarrett

When I started my career in Banking, I was sometimes reprimanded – quite rightly – for chatting too much and for being a distraction to my work colleagues.

Now, some thirty-five years later, I am capitalizing on my gregarious nature by connecting dots and facilitating introductions using the latest virtual networking and event technologies on the market today.

Virtual Power-Networking™ is my sweet spot – tell me who you want to get in front of, and I’ll do my best to help you meet her 🙂

Us human beings are social animals. The desire to grow our tribes is firmly embedded into our collective DNA. Which is why business networking exists. It used to be the primary motivating factor when attending the plethora of networking events that used to take place throughout the world every single day.

But then along came the novel coronavirus COVID19 which has decimated meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) industry whose raison d’être was effectively to facilitate networking between peers – alas ‘in person’ networking whilst practicing social distancing is both counterintuitive and oxymoronic.

However, as Napoleon Hill once pointed out, every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit.

We now all intuitively aware that virtual has become our new reality.

I have been extoling the virtues of virtual networking long before the pandemic reared its ugly head. But irrespective of the pandemic, it offers enormous advantages over its real-world cousin: it leaves ZERO carbon footprint, it’s GLOBAL, and it’s FREE. What’s not to like?

Being a globalist myself, I love meeting new and interesting people this way. Pre-corona, I often used to attend networking events in my local area. However, I often found these to be too hyper-local in their nature. Thanks to virtual networking, the world is indeed our oyster.

Many people are still unaware that networking virtually is a ‘thing’. And if they do, more often than not they do not have a clue where to start. Which is where I come in.

Over and above teaching people the techniques and methodologies of networking this way, my clients have access to a large and valuable network of extraordinary people throughout the world.

My ‘go to’ platform when networking this way is WhatsApp. Owned by Facebook, roughly two billion people, or about a quarter of the world’s population use it. Ironically, the one country where its use is not so widespread is in its birthplace, the USA. Only one in five Americans use it. I’m on a mission to make that one in four.

I now run 200+ WhatsApp groups covering all kinds of industries and business subjects, and I am taking a long tail approach – I know nothing about BioTech, but what I DO know is that when you have two of more people in the same (virtual!) room there is more likely to be a meeting of minds which might then end up in a transaction. It certainly could end up in a friendship – I have lost count of the amount of relationships I have catalysed through my countless introductions – which is what makes my role as a professional networker so rewarding.

Community building lies at the heart of what I do. And judging by the numerous recommendations on my LinkedIn profile, I think I do it rather well.

Most people do not enjoy networking, or simply do not have the time. If you are one of them, I can network for you. Once I have a better understanding of who your dream client is, I will tenaciously seek them out for you and organize a three-way meeting in which I will break the ice and make the introduction.

Many people are still unaware that networking virtually is a ‘thing’. And if they do, more often than not they do not have a clue where to start. Which is where I come in.

Over and above teaching people the techniques and methodologies of networking this way, my clients have access to a large and valuable network of extraordinary people throughout the world.

An African proverb states ‘If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go with others.

So, NOW is the perfect time start growing your network, virtually of course. You won’t regret it.