A confession: I hate networking.
Another confession: In authentic writerly style, I know that really it’s the term ‘networking’ that I hate.
In fact, most of my work has always come to me through people I know – aka my network of contacts. As a one-person band, it’s hard to break into corporate accounts and introduce myself to marketing influencers unless I know them, or someone they trust has recommended me.
I don’t like the concept of networking because it sounds and feels somehow exploitative. I know that LinkedIn is a great tool for rootling out potentially relevant contacts and prospects. But for me, it’s too pushy to ask someone I don’t know to connect with me just because I feel I’m in with a chance of getting a slice of their budget. I don’t enjoy receiving unsolicited invitations to connect, so I don’t feel right about subjecting others to the practice.
Staying in touch is different
What I do enjoy is staying in touch with people. In my personal life, I’ve always been the one in my group of friends to organise the university reunion, set up the book group or plan a meet-up or excursion with people I haven’t seen in a while. In my work life, I enjoy keeping up with people’s career and company moves and staying in touch with their priorities. When I can recommend someone I know and trust, I always do. And fortunately, people do the same for me.
When I set up The Wordsmithy in 2003, I emailed the 40 or 50 people I was in touch with from my previous marketing roles at ASDA, Singlepoint, Partners and IBM. Luckily for me, it was enough to get me off the starting blocks. My first piece of Wordsmithy work was freelancing on a project for Argos for a London agency: a friend in the communications industry recommended me. My big break was picking up a succession of customer communication projects for Vodafone. A colleague I’d worked with in the telecoms industry put me in touch with someone in another team in Vodafone.
Thank you for passing my name on
And that’s how it’s continued. I receive a handful of enquiries a year from new clients who have found me through Google. But most Wordsmithy briefs come from people who have worked with me over the years, referred me to their associates in other firms or agencies, have moved on and taken my contact details with them to pastures new or recommended me to colleagues.
I really appreciate every single recommendation and every one of you who has taken the trouble to ping an email about me, flag me to a colleague on LinkedIn or mention my name in a conversation. I’d like you to know that whenever the occasion arises, I grab the opportunity to return the favour and recommend your work and businesses too.
I owe a big debt of gratitude to the two people who put me in touch with those first two clients.
Thank you, Andrew McCauley and Lisa Hargrave. I would not be where I am today without your altruism.