t’s a fact, in business people buy people and they buy people that they know, like and trust. So, it stands to reason that if you are going to get the results you are looking for you need to be able to attract others to you and also compel them to find out more and to stick around to help you out and pass business and contacts your way.

So, how can you exploit the “ people buy people ” philosophy? Develop the “ you ” factor!

1. Be Authentic

Firstly, if a key criteria is about people getting to know, like and trust you then it follows that you have to be genuine and authentic - others will soon see through you if you aren’t being genuine. Therefore you need to be yourself and learn to express your positive qualities.

Ask yourself ‘on a scale of 1-10’ how authentic do I feel when I go out and network? Are you a 10 where you really are being yourself or do you feel that you are putting on one big act for the benefit of others? (because it certainly won’t be for your benefit.)

Often when people start networking they think they have to put on an act to give a good impression – but ask yourself – what is wrong with the ‘real’ you? If you then find that the ‘real’ you is so incongruent with the ethos of where you are networking then you might want to ask yourself whether you are networking in the right place.

Consider also what you are wearing – do your clothes reflect your personality and the image you want to portray?

If you are struggling to know who you really are you might want to spend some time reflecting on your values and what your strengths are.

2. Discover Your Passions

Think of those times when you have met people who are passionate about what they do and their sheer enthusiasm and passion has been infectious. People are naturally drawn towards passion in others whatever their passions may be and are far more likely to want to spend time in their company and help them.

Ask yourself how passionate you are about what you do. Remember you must remain authentic so you cannot fake passion, so if you do not feel passionate about what you do perhaps now is the time for discovering your true passions.

So how do you discover your passions – well, think of those times you have gained a real buzz from your work- what really gets you excited about what you do?

If you are struggling here then remember that if you network without that passion and enthusiasm your competitor will already have that advantage over you.

3. Help Others First

Effective networkers always aim to help others first. In some ways this may seem like a paradox to the principle of setting personal goals for networking but the principle of helping others does actually sit alongside your own goals.

By helping others you will not only build up a deep sense of personal satisfaction you will also naturally build up a desire in others to help you in return. However, that desire to help must be genuine, and not merely an action to gain ‘credit’ with others for the future.

4. Take Responsibility

As an effective networker you must take responsibility for the results you get from networking. It is all too easy to blame others, whether it is others in a networking group for not bringing you the referrals you want or the organisers of a networking event for not bringing you the contacts you need. Read all these business networking tips but ultimately it is up to you to question what you need to do to get the results you want and remember, “ people buy people ”.