A mere whisper of the word can inspire sweaty palms and groans of anguish among the strongest of us.

Are you one of those women who hates "salesy" events, quakes in her boots at the thought of making small talk with strangers, and doesn't want to be seen as overly aggressive? I am one of those women and no one believes me when I tell them that.

These days I like to say, "I'm an introvert who knows how to fake extroversion really well." You know what they say about practicing something over and over? If you want to BE it, you must just DO it until you believe it. I am still an introvert at heart, but I've learned how to schmooze with the best of 'em!

You can't avoid networking as an entrepreneur; it's part of the job. So you must practice it over and over until you become adept at networking. We've devoted an entire newsletter issue to this topic because it's a hot button for so many women. There are some great nuggets of networking knowledge here.

It seems in this day and age the art and science of networking has become complex. Not only do we attend in-person professional networking events, but now we can attend them online. As Wild Women Entrepreneurs, many of us have never even met each other in person! The competition for attention is tough and as a result, learning about networking has become complicated.

I learned networking in the 1960s and 70s by watching my dad. He was an insurance salesman. My dad is the most "soft sell" guy you'll ever meet. He attracted loyal customers who stayed with him for 35 years and earned a very healthy salary being a down-to-earth nice guy. So how did he do it? Simple. Good old fashioned good manners are the foundation to networking success.

• Be impeccably polite online and off.


• Give as graciously and at least as often as you receive.


• You know how they say you should never talk about politics, religion, and sex with strangers? Remember this in your networking.


• Show genuine interest in others. A simple, "how are your kids?" or "how was your vacation?" will go a long way in laying a foundation for a wonderful business networking relationship.


• Do not speak badly of others - not ever, even if everyone else is doing it.

I'm sure you can think of many more etiquette rules you learned as a kid that will make networking easier for you. Maybe I'm stating the blatantly obvious here, but I don't think so. Good manners is good networking. That's where it all starts.

There's no denying today's networking is more complex than just being polite. That's intimidating. However, I believe that if the nervous among us start by remembering the golden rules of good manners, we're halfway toward the goal of overcoming our fears.

We've assembled some brilliant Wild WE experts for this month's newsletter. Read and practice the tips from these wonderful networking gurus. Start by attending some online networking events to build your confidence.

Now, Wild Women Entrepreneurs, go forth and network!

Labels: From the Editor