Leading Business Networking | September | 2013 | Page 8

Make the connection
Networking demands time and requires strategy, but delivers rewards
By Trevor Wendzonka | Chamber Staff

verybody has one. Whether it’s propping up a computer monitor or tucked in a desk drawer that’s best left unopened, a stack of dog-eared business cards from faces and places long forgotten is taking up space. What good is it? That may be a fair question. What could it have achieved? That’s even better.
really get a kick out of going to an event and seeing a lot of people running all over the room – a handshake, a smile, collecting a card and moving on,” says Rick Horn of The Growth Coach of Michiana. “Really, at the end of the “ event, you should have quality contact information and an opportunity to stay in touch … not just a stack of cards.” Networking is neither art nor science, and yet it’s kind of both. The only true requirement is time: an up-front investment, an allotment for proper follow up, and an unspecified period of waiting that brings the treasured prize of new business. The value is

immense, if undefined. It’s why the Greater Elkhart Chamber puts so much effort into giving businesses a variety of ways to connect, from the Biz-Ness Before and After Hours events each month to the stellar Biz-Ness Expo, a one-day B2B festival of opportunity. ’m sure if you asked my parents,” says Shaina Poland, an account manager with Critical Data Solutions, “they’d tell you I never shut up as a kid. Maybe that has something to do with why I like networking.” That line may bring a laugh, and that’s the point. Networkers know it’s important to set the tone for a comfortable and memorable conversation. In the digital age, the opportunity to talk with someone face to face gives people the chance to make the favorable impression an email or social site cannot deliver. “I think, generally, many people have become more hesitant “