When you think about networking, I bet you think about going OUT to an event, where you shake hands and meet strangers OR trying to do something on LinkedIN. Over the years. many partners have told me that the number one reason why professionals like you find your careers stalling is that you neglect your network, including your internal network within the firm So in this blog post, let’s think about effective business networking.
I’m Heather Townsend, author of Poised for Partnership and co-author of How to Make Partner & Still Have a Life. I’m the leading global expert in what it takes to move from senior fee earner to partner . Here are 5 ways to work with me
The type of business networking that will help you grow your influence within the firm (don’t neglect that internal network!) and through your desired market place. My definition, (well I did also write the Financial Times Guide To Business Networking) of effective business networking is,
The process of finding, building and maintaining mutually beneficial relationships
When professionals like you ( lawyers, accountants, consultants) think about your networking, you only focus on the ‘finding’ and collecting contacts bit. Very often the building and maintaining part of effective networking is neglected or ignored. None more so than your internal network. If you turn some of your networking time and attention from going out and working the room to spending time with people in your firm, you can reap huge benefits. Here are 6 reasons why you should focus your networking activities on your internal firm network
1. An internal firm network is part of your support team
Most people associate networking with either building your profile or winning business. Actually there are 4 reasons why lawyers, accountants and consultants network. One of these reasons, which is often forgotten and not valued, is it helps you build a supportive community around you. In my book ‘How to make Partner and still have a Life‘ and this blog post we talk about the importance of having a support team around you.
2. Your internal firm network can provide internal cross-selling opportunities
Have you noticed that so many firms at the moment are focused on finding ways to cross-sell and increase the client’s level of engagement with the firm? You will only be able to find opportunities for other parts of the business from your client portfolio or external network if you know what the other parts of the firm do, and when is the best time to bring them in. If you start regularly giving referrals out to other parts of the firm, that’s going to get you noticed for all the right reasons. But you won’t be able to do this unless you have a good internal firm network.
3. Your internal firm network keeps you visible when you are thinking of making partner
Most partnerships still vote on the candidates who have put themselves up for admittance into the partnership. If you are going to get the yes from all of your partners, they need to know who you are, and why you are a valuable asset to the firm. (See point two about cross selling opportunities).
4. It will help you find the right mentor to champion your cause and career
In our research for How to make partner and still have a life, we discovered that your internal firm mentor was perhaps the most important person to have in your support team. (see who should be in your support team). If you are well networked within your firm, you will know who is the right person to ask to champion you in your career within the firm. To help you get the most from your mentor, download our free guide to getting the most from your mentoring relationship.
5. It helps you establish your client portfolio
This is probably the biggest reason to be well networked within your current firm. It’s not an external client who will give you your first big break to establish yourself within a niche. It will be a member of your current firm, someone that has got to know and trust you and see what you are doing. It is this niche and specialism which will be the trigger for you to build up a profitable client portfolio of your own. If you think that the networks of the senior professionals within your firm, they are exponentially bigger than your own network. Whilst you have the non-trivial matters of chargeable time targets to hit, your partners whose role it is to bring in work, will probably be your first provider of referrals for your own specialism or niche.
6. It gets you more opportunities to promote yourself
Promoting yourself takes many forms, but speaking and writing are still two of the best ways to promote yourself and what you do. It is likely that your first speaking and writing opportunities will not come directly to you but via a suggestion from a partner in your firm. Do your partners know what speaking and writing opportunities to suggest for you?
7. Need some help build internal firm referral network?
When you start building and nurturing a referral network, you will see slowly start to see the benefits, and your partners will notice you!
I have carefully curated some of my best advice, guides and exercises on how to build a Referral Network from Progress to Partner Academy and they are available to you here!
You can access this Referral Network section for just £6 (£5+VAT)!
You can watch my videos on:
- How to earn the right to have a conversation
- How to turn a conversation into business
- How do I generate business when I can’t meet people for coffee
- How to go from coffees, to instructions
Your future self will thank you for it!
There are entire sections in my Progress to Partner (online) Academy, full of Guides, Recordings and Self-study Courses that will help you learn how to network effectively and win business from your networking activities. One of the self-study courses is called How to go from Coffee… to Instructions..
By taking this course you will be taken through a step-by-step process to – in time – generate referrals via your internal and external networks. Find out more here – Progress to Partner Academy
I’m Heather Townsend, author of Poised for Partnership and co-author of How to Make Partner & Still Have a Life. I’m the leading global expert in what it takes to move from senior fee earner to partner . Here are 5 ways to work with me
