Networking is one of the best resources for professional success and career enhancement. You do not have to see it as a form of a transactional relationship, but rather it serves as an avenue to create long-lasting friendships with mutual benefits. A good network can potentially advance your career, get access to new job opportunities, and acquire new skills for self-improvement. A single contact can be so powerful that it could get you into meetings or interviews with several big companies without wasting much effort or time on your end.

The saying “No Man Is an Island” is the reason why we always need a community to thrive. For many successful individuals, besides hard work and perseverance, the strong networking channels that they have created over time definitely came into play. To create and maintain a beneficial network, you must be open to meeting new people and constantly seek out opportunities to grow and expand your network. To those who like to be kept to themselves, read on as we share with you several reasons why networking is important.

1. It provides job opportunities.

Expanding your contact can open doors to new job opportunities. When people start noticing you, you will be given endless opportunities of job openings, reference letters, insight into new fields – chances of securing the job increase tenfold with the right employee referral! Take the time to build a meaningful relationship with everyone in your professional circle, so when the time comes, you can tap into these valuable connections to search for new job openings.

2. It helps with career enhancement.

For those who love to climb that career ladder, networking is one of the most effective ways to accelerate the pace. You get to receive advice, discuss common challenges and get immediate solutions from experienced peers especially those who have gone through similar career paths as you. Moreover, you’ll be able to connect with different types of mentors and advisors, which will help you further develop your areas of expertise, and improve your soft skills.

Networking is more so important for the self-employed. To keep your job prospects and income steady, you’ll gain all sorts of benefits by building and maintaining a strong network. If you have completed several jobs for a company and had a positive working relationship, they are more likely to recommend you to other potential clients or engage you again in future projects. Effective networking is one of the best practices you can undertake to help your own career thrive.

Tips for Networking Effectively

1. Be Proactive

Like any relationship, your professional connections need to be maintained for it to be effective. If you were to text a friend whom you have not talked to for years, he is most probably going to ignore your text or block you. You do not have to wait until formal events to make contact, a simple meeting over coffee or lunch is one of the many ways to maintain pleasant relationships with your extended network at all times.

2. Look for The Right People

Networking with the right people will have you work smarter. If you are interested in a career switch, connect with a friend who works in that specific industry; if you would like to onboard more projects, reconnect with past clients. Smart networking takes research, strategy, and visibility, you will never know who might be able to help. Also, just remember that networking is a two-way relationship. You must also be of value to somebody, so make sure to always reach out to your contacts whenever they need your help. For every favour, you request from your network, be sure to return with something of greater perceived value. LinkedIn has a great filter search function to connect you with people that are specific to what you’re looking for.

Performing advanced search with LinkedIn

In order to be effective at LinkedIn search, you need to know exactly who your target audience is. The goal is to take your search results from millions of people to a targeted qualified list, here are some ways you can think about your target audience:
Find people to meet with while traveling or attending a conference

Find connections you have in common with prospects
Connect or partner with like-minded thought leaders and peers in your industry
Find people who would be interested in joining your nonprofit or local meet-up group
Identify multiple contacts in a company
Find local specialists to hire for specific projects (LinkedIn has their own freelancer marketplace.)

3. Seek out Networking Events

Networking events help you to meet new people, as well as reconnect with past contacts. It requires you to stay positive and always be genuine with everyone you meet at the event. Be open to exchanging name cards, phone numbers, Instagram, anything – you never know when you need their help.

Never belittle the importance of networking. A professional network can assist you in many ways. I understand it can be exhausting at times, but you will never know who can provide you with the necessary resources you need then.

How does BCD help our agents grow?

BCD begins by customizing a career path for. As everyone is different, something working for someone might not work for others and Benson understands this to a great deal.

BCD had opportunities for agents to shadow experienced agents, allowing them to witness how viewings are conducted and how deals are closed. Agents also get opportunities to manage Benson’s listings, which allows agents to observe and put into practice what they’ve learnt helping them grow at an exponential rate.

BCD focuses on achieving the skill of constant closing before spending on marketing and advertising, so by the time you have to engage in digital marketing or spend more on advertisements, you can be sure that you will have the means to. But, for agents that do want to invest in marketing, BCD is able to offer subsidised rates on certain digital services like video production due to our in-house capacity.

At BCD, our focus is on you. Feel free to drop us a line to find out more on our programs that aim to equip agents with the right skills to achieve their goals.

Networking For Real Estate Agents In 2021