As an architect, you are constantly building relationships as well as structures. The connections you make along the way help to guide your career and your network. When you graduate from college you may feel that your sphere of influence is rather small (Read more about one’s sphere of influence in the book, The Practice of Adaptive Leadership by Ronald Heifetz). Naturally your projects you will slowly grow your network. What if you could grow your sphere of influence exponentially by adding hints of business development? Small steps over time can create some big leaps in your future professional development and career.
The power of business development
Your firm may have a sales team or even a business development professional, but many projects come from repeat clients that are coming back because of the great work YOU did on a prior project. You even as a young professional are practicing business development just by working on projects and doing well. Meeting people (client, contractors, engineers, and product representatives) is a natural increase in your network but can be a slow process if you are only on 1-2 large projects over many years. You never know where you next project will come from, what friends you’ll make along the way, or what professional opportunities may become available. However, you may need to step out of your comfort zone and focus always on networking outside your project team to gain more valuable connections.
You should approach business development and networking as gaining meaningful relationships more than getting new work. New connections and strengthening these relationships could guide you into other opportunities that you may not even know is possible. “The day you plant the seed is not when you eat the fruit” -Julie Brown.
Just because you gain a new connection does not make it a relationship. A relationship that makes a true impact on your network takes time, effort, and trust. The big difference from the literal planting a seed and planting a seed in business development is that the physical plant you know what will grow. In business development and networking you do not know what fruit will come of it. It may very well be a future project for your firm but it could be connecting you to someone else. Or an opportunity to help others by connecting people those you already know together.
The possibilities are endless. Have your ever thought it could be a lifelong friend, a mentor, an opportunity to sit on a board, a way for you to meet more individuals with similar passions, or even a guide you to a whole new career path. Connections and friendships can change who you are as a person and professional. These small steps can increase your sphere of influence. If you don’t believe me, check out Emily Pierson-Brown’s post about “The Power of Connections and the 2019 AIA Women’s Leadership Summit”.
Tips on navigating network events
Networking events can be pretty overwhelming when you don’t know anyone in the room. You may feel that you NEED to try to know EVERYONE. Also don’t set unrealistic expectations that networking at an organization will instantly change your life. Networking to create true relationships is not about collecting as many business cards as possible in a few hours at an event. If you go into an event with the mindset of just gathering business cards, you only end up with just that, a bunch of cards. This is not a true network of people you know.
LinkedIn has fed the laziness and false affirmation on business development connections. Yes, you are connected to 500 people on linkedIn, but out of those 500 do you know what the person does, where you met them, or even what their goals are? Do you have any common treads or interests as this person? If you need advice do you feel comfortable reaching out to them? Sending a blind connection request so you feel your network is vast is not business development.
Can you randomly pick someone out of your Linkedin network and be able to have a conversation with them, ask for more information for your project, ask for professional development guidance, or can you help them in any way? LinkedIn should be an avenue to help you nurture relationships, learn some more information about them, keep up with connections if they change companies, and another way to reach out.
After researching and learning more about business development, I have my own goals and strategies for approaching my sphere of influence and networking events. I am not perfect by any means and still actively work on these myself with every event I attend. At the end of this post is a list of some other articles and podcasts that have influenced these strategies.
Here is some tips:
Research!
Research needs to be done to figure out which rooms you need be in, and what are the players in those rooms. What industry organizations should I join to possibly have a seat at the table? It is not about filling your resume with an endless list of organizations. You should be finding the few that mean the most to you and about being an active member or even striving to take action within the organization. Some other questions you may think about include the following. What are the options to be involved? Who are the key figures that you need to meet? Who are partners that you could partner with down the road. Remember that referrals generally come from people when they know, like and trust you.
Research yourself! You are MORE than your name and the company you work for. What are your passions? Why do you personally want to be apart of an organization? What do you enjoy doing in your free time? What podcasts do you listen to? This is about expanding the surface area in which you connect with someone. Know who you are as a whole and be able to communicate it with others. It is okay to go into a networking event and NOT talk about your business.
Know the Room.
When I attend a Pittsburgh W+ID (Women in Design) event versus a Pittsburgh Chapter CSI (Construction Specifications Institute) event my approach is drastically different! The W+ID events is more about growing my network with other design professional that are women. These are events with possible future inspiration, mentors for myself, spark passion for this blog, or possibly becoming a mentor for someone else. This is also a place for me to grow as a professional and learn what is going on in my AEC community.
A CSI event is typically with a much larger network of architectural representatives and some architects. These events I’m focused on learning about different building materials, creating friendships with local representatives, and help to find solutions to current design problems my team is trying to solve. Today I even encourage other young professionals to come to events where I try to introduce them to product representatives I’ve worked with over the years.
The point is, know what type of people are going to be in the room. This will help drive conversation because you will already know what everyone in the room HAS IN COMMON.
Set a Goal
At a networking event it is easy to only talk to people you haven’t seen in a while, but if you come out of an event not meeting anyone new what was the point of attending? Yes, reconnect with those you have met at events before and past colleagues, but you could get lunch or drinks with that person too. Have a goal for how many new people you want to meet and exchange business cards. But don’t set your goals too high! Remember it’s about creating MEANINGFUL relationships, not about collecting all the business cards. I typically set my goal to be 3 new business cards per event. Then I REACH out to them in the following days either via email or LinkedIn.
Even just a small conversation and saying things like, “let me know if I can help you regarding _____.” -or- “Our conversation reminded me of this book I read, I highly recommend you checking it out!” Have an idea if there was something discussed that you could help them with now or in the future. Then hopefully at the next event you can say hi to someone you remember and have talked to between events. (If you are bad at remembering conversations, take a few notes on the business card! Quick words that can help you remember the conversation)
Once you’ve reached your goal, you can LEAVE! Three people is plenty to remember what you can follow up with them. If you meet 15 new people will you remember each person and how to meaningfully follow up? Also, don’t feel like you need to be at an event for the full 3-4 hours. If you have a work deadline or a family at home, by giving yourself permission to leave after you hit your goal helps with time management and being able to fit networking events into your busy schedule.
Try to NOT talk about business
You shouldn’t just be talking to someone about work or if they have a project you can help them with. Yes, most conversations start out with the usual: your name, who you work for, and what you do. But why not guide the conversation to find out more about the person (not the job) or what brought them to this event. The event did intince both of you to attend so you have something in common.
The goal should be to have an actual conversation so that when you follow up or see each other again it can be with a real conversation. Ie. Our conversation reminded me of this book I read, or I think you’d really like this article or podcast I came across. Even better, oh I feel you should really meet Mr. Smith and he is actually here tonight I’d love to introduce you two! (That’s all it takes to make connections for others)
Don’t know how to start a conversation? Take Emily’s advice from her post Just Talk and “What is the harm in saying hello?” Remember networking is just talking.
Actively Listen
You need to be in the room and present for these conversations. It is hard sometimes to forget about a frustrating situation you dealt with at work that day, a big presentation happening this week, or a sick child at home. The goal at a networking event is to just be you and leave your stresses at the door. You don’t need to be at the event for the full 5 hours, but if you set your goals it gives you the okay to leave once you have met those goals. (ie. Gain 3-5 strong new relationships that you can follow up with in the next few days, and give yourself permission that it is okay to not stay for the full event. Hopefully next time you are able to stay for the full event)
While you are talking to someone at a networking event you can’t respond with yes, no, I understand, and other brush off phrases. The goal is to keep the conversation going and asking more questions helps you learn more about the other person. When you LISTEN you may gain a friend, be a resource, or you may know someone that this person should connect with. (Introduce them!) That’s how connections happen, not just building your own network but helping others build theirs.
Finally, meeting someone for the first time does NOT mean you have a relationship with that person. You have to WORK at that relationship like anything else and it takes time to grow into something more.
Guide for the Room
This approach is great with someone doesn’t know almost the entire room, but there is one person you know that does know the whole room. (or some of the room) You can be either person in this scenario. If you know the room, guide someone around that doesn’t know ANYONE. You know how the individuals can connect or help each other.
I remember my first Construction Specifications Institute gathering, it was their Christmas party where product representatives set up tables all around a space. I was invited by my company’s specification writer, Bob Bailey, who happens to know EVERYONE. He funneled me to particular representatives that had products that could be used on my current projects, and even representatives that are simply great people to know for future projects. He also didn’t hover over the conversation and typically would walk away after the initial introduction to let us form our own connections. Then come back to pull me over to the next person I needed to meet. As a new young professional at the time, there was a lot to learn and was pretty overwhelming since it was more like gathering business cards, learning about a variety of products, and expanding my network.
This was not having the goal setting approach I talked about above with only gaining a few cards to create meaningful relationships but it did help me feel comfortable in the room and expand my network. Now after a few years experience, I talk to local representatives between meetings, actively work on strengthening those relationships, and attending events I can work the room on my own and still meeting new people along the way. Understanding if you are the person like I was or possibly being someone like Bob at an event for someone else. It can be a great way to expand your network and help make connections between people you know.
Have a Wing Person
The last goal is more of a strategy you could implement. This strategy is about going to an event with someone else. It can feel awkward to walk around a room alone trying to find someone to talk to, or being confident to talk about yourself. By having someone with you it is a way to have someone else speak about your achievements or goals after the initial introductions. Someone that can say, “Oh you just go back from a conference about _____ right?” Having a wing person that knows what you’ve been up to and things you’ve accomplished can help a conversation without tooting your own horn. However, be sure that you and your wing person don’t isolate yourselves from the event. Keep the goal of meeting 3 new people each. Or double your goal since there are two of you to navigate the space.
Another factor that can help with having a wing person is most likely you each know different people in the room but still not know everyone. You can introduce your wing person to someone you went to school with or a previous coworker. At the same time you could still both meet completely new people. This is a great approach if you need practice in boosting your confidence with networking.
Those are just some pieces of advice I have for tackling networking and how you can put more of a goal or objective to your next event. If you want to learn more about any of the topics above, or business development or networking check out my resources below!
Written by
Katelyn Rossier, AIA, LSSBB
Additional Resources:
Taking the Work Out of Networking with Karen Wickre. Karen is a connector, editor, and communicator that used to work for Google, Twitter, and other start up companies in Silicon Valley. She is an author of Taking the Work Out of Networking: An Introvert’s Guide to Making Connections That Count. You can see more of her writing and work on her website.
Julie Brown, I first came across in the EntreArchitect podcast episode “Build Your Network”. She is a business development strategist, networking coach, and public speaker. She hosts workshops to companies and organizations. There are also posts pro-tips on for website regarding a wide range of tips and advice to get you started.
Stacey Brown teaches small business owners, solopreneurs, and sales professionals to generate referrals without asking, without manipulation or feeling inauthentic. Her podcast, Roadmap to Grow Your Business Podcast, provides insights and resources to help you be successful. She has written many books that you can use as a resource. Check out the Referral Ninja Quiz on her website. See if you’re a beginner, in training, or a master!
She even has a free 7 day referral growth challenge that you can participate in!
Looking to improve business referrals? Check out her book, “Generating Business Referrals Without Asking”
