Man is a social animal. But more importantly, man is a cliquey animal. Wherever it may be; at work, in a wedding or a party, people always choose to hang out with people they already know, this is not harmful but not an advisable networking habit.
Networking with like-minded people will not get you far. In order to gain more visibility and more business, you need to get away from your usual groups & cliques. If you stay in the same circles, you just end up moving in circles. Everyone knows the same people and you end up getting referred to the same people each time.
A diverse network gives you the scope to have connectors, who can be great for referrals. Connectors or ‘linchpins’ as they are called in the business world crossover from one cluster to another with ease and they end up linking people and businesses between clusters.
If you are a member of one types of association, say BNI then make an effort to fish for contacts in a different association, for eg. in the Rotary Club.
Volunteering is a great way to meet people from diverse backgrounds and groups. For eg, if you volunteered at an old age home, you learn compassion, sensitivity & also a great deal of patience. But at the same time, you meet other volunteers, the children of the elders who you connect with.
Even volunteering in schools like teaching kids a sport or a subject will help a great deal. You learn team building, mobilisation of people. & sportsmanship and at the same time you could connect with their parents and add them to your network.
Lastly, try and see if you could become a board member of an organisation. Guaranteed it is not as straightforward as becoming a volunteer for an organisation, but it is something you could work towards. Get to know what you need to do to get appointed to a position like that and work towards that happening. A board position exposes you to different people & businesses and helps you expand your network in a big way.
