How to Network When You Are Shy

Networking can be difficult for some people who are afraid of having people contacting them and contacting people themselves. If you are a shy individual and you panic at the thought of going to business events and making small chit chat with other business people, do not worry. You can network in a variety of ways and some ways do not require that you be center stage. Here are some ways you can network if you are shy.

Talk to your friends and family and see if they might want to help you network your business. Many people avoid reaching out to friends and family because they do not want to look helpless or that they cannot manage their business. Ask them to spread the word about the services you offer. Make sure they know that you do not expect them to purchase anything from you and that you just appreciate a good word of mouth buzz.

You can network with your children’s friends’ parents. Or you could join a yoga group with other mothers, if you are a mother. You can join a recreational sport with other fathers and network by developing friendships. Contacts are everywhere and you might want to consider this soft networking approach if you are shy about getting out there and talking to strangers.

Your neighbors will be a good way to network because things tend to pass from neighbor to neighbor in small towns. Tell them about your services and they might have ‘a friend of a friend’ that might be interested. They might know of someone who is in need of your service. The possibilities are unlimited.

If you have children talk to the parents of other children at Parent and Teacher Meetings. You can make general small talk about anything from your child’s clothing to the weather. The conversation always turns into what you do for a living and your services will be brought up in the conversation. These parents will think of you if they are ever in need of your services.

Grow your business by volunteering. It makes you feel good and can help you expand your services. It will keep you meeting people and talking about your services. The more people that know about your business, the more referrals you will be able to receive. It might seem strange to bring up business in some of these conversations, but most of the time the topic of business comes out eventually.