It's who you know
 The
world of pharmaceuticals is all about networking -- building
influential relationships inside and outside your company and community.Networking opportunities abound in your life. Targets may include people who can help you advance in your career, ensure your job security or make sure you meet your bonus targets -- people within your organization, industry and world. Even if you think you're clueless about how to network effectively, you can create a strategy for meeting people and developing mutually rewarding relationships. Some people think of networking as another word for schmoozing. But schmoozing implies a superficial way of meeting people. Networking refers to a process that is more strategic, continuous and productive. It is an effort to meet people with whom you can spend time developing trust and building relationships, being helpful and receiving help in return. How a network can help Networking is a proactive career strategy. When you need assistance with a business-related issue and you have a network in place, you can quickly find the right person to help -- and you can return the favor to the people in your network the same way. Here are seven ways your network can enhance your professional and personal life: You'll find a helping hand when you need it. You won't have to fend for yourself. A diverse network provides you with a wide variety of experts who will be willing and able to help you get out of a tough spot, find an answer to a problem or question, brainstorm ideas, or just get things done more effectively. The "members" can help you achieve your goals. Whether you need advice, a sales lead or some real influence to help you pursue a desired position, people in your network are excellent resources. They can help you identify and achieve career goals. If you are seeking a promotion, a new job or a career change, the people in your network may be responsible for hiring or they may be able to introduce you to the people who are hiring. You can learn more about your field. The people in your pharmaceutical and healthcare network can help you grow professionally by sharing their ideas, experience, skills and knowledge. Your network provides you with positive publicity. A network is like your personal public relations and sales team. The people you are connected with know about your expertise and accomplishments and are able to promote you, your ideas and your products to others. You obtain greater credibility through your association with highly regarded professionals. These connections are critical when you are seeking a job, a promotion, a special project or new business. You will make new friends. Because networking is all about building relationships, it enables you to forge many friendships and inevitably connect with people who will become lifelong friends. It provides you with a social support system, so you feel a sense of belonging when you attend conferences, meetings and other events. You will meet people whose company you truly enjoy, and your life will become fuller and more interesting. You will build beneficial relationships within the company. Your professional life will be much easier and more productive when you have connections within your company. Working together in mutually supportive ways makes everyone's job easier. When you have the right connections, you can get things done quickly and effectively. You can often accomplish things without going through the formal hierarchy and procedures. You will get to know people who can keep you informed about events and happenings -- and sometimes that kind of knowledge can make or break the success of a project or even your career. Networking expands your business. You may be hardworking, but without networking, your sales -- and resulting bonuses -- are not likely to grow. The adage "It's not what you know, it's who you know" is as true today as it ever was. When you network to generate new business, you make an investment that costs little but provides an enormous payoff. Develop a networking strategy While it's possible that through good luck you may someday encounter a person who hands you a golden career opportunity, you certainly should not count on it -- and you definitely would be ill-advised to wait around for this to occur. Networking is not about meeting people randomly and waiting for opportunities to happen. It's all about strategy. Scattered, disorganized attempts to network are rarely successful, wasting your time and effort. To get results, you should create and systematically follow a proactive networking strategy based on the following steps: 1. Clarify what you want and from whom. To create your networking strategy, you must first have a clear picture of what you want to achieve through your networking efforts. Clarify your goal and identify the people who can help you reach that goal. Doctors? Nurses? Pharmacists? Researchers? Scientists? Managers? Administrators? People in the home office? A combination of some or all of these? 2. Find the people who can lead you to what you want. Think about how many people you know. From close friends and relatives to mere acquaintances, from current co-workers to former classmates, you probably know hundreds of people -- maybe more! It's estimated that most adults know 250 to 1,000 people through a combination of close and casual relationships. The people you already know are potential leads for your network. And some of your acquaintances may be people you want to move into the inner circle. 3. Decide what you can offer them. Networking is a two-way street. It involves some exchange of value. You are not supposed to be taking advantage of people, expecting them to help you while you do as little as possible to help them. This attitude is not only unfair, but it is also doomed to fail as people discover they are being used. 4. Make contact. Making contact is the first step of networking. It's the phase when you present yourself to the person with whom you hope to establish a professional relationship and endeavor to create a positive and lasting impression. It involves advance preparation, making courteous and memorable introductions, and conducting interesting conversations. This can be done face-to-face, on the phone or via e-mail. It can be planned, or it may happen serendipitously. 5. Follow up and build the relationship. After the initial meeting, the goal is to build a relationship. It's not a sales call, but a more informal meeting of the minds. A face-to-face encounter gives you the opportunity to build trust and solidify the networking connection, but you may decide, for a host of reasons, that your best approach is to contact the person by phone, fax, e-mail or "snail mail." In other words, keep in touch! Send a thank-you note, promise to send your contact something (and then do it) and focus on building the relationship. This will move you from contact to connection. You can't take a break from networking with people after you've established contact. Networking is a process, not an event. You can't expect people to help you if you haven't developed a relationship with them. You have to create chemistry and trust in order to build a relationship that goes beyond a transaction. Always look for ways to help the other person and keep him up-to-date with what you are doing. It's when you move from contact to connection that things really start to happen. Look for ways to build trust and connect on a personal level. Ultimately, this type of interactive support system can result in huge rewards of career success and longevity.
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