Successful Networking Lessons from an Unlikely Source

Would it surprise you that you can learn a lot about networking by studying bees?

Bees have survived for centuries. How long will you survive in your business?

In New England, summer has finally arrived! I love sitting outside in the sun's warmth on my deck, which overlooks a unique labyrinth pathway carved out of our verdant green fields.

The fragrant French lavender that edges my expansive deck has invited hundreds of bees busy at work to extract the pollen. I find it fascinating that despite so many bees, each gracefully maneuvers from one tiny flower to another, dancing in a rhythm with no more than two bees to a stem, almost as if they are doing a bee tango.

During the pandemic, I considered beekeeping as a new hobby. The thought of homemade honey seemed a delightful goal and part of a New England back-to-nature, feel-good lifestyle.

I began exploring beekeeping online, reading all I could about the life of these fascinating insects. I conveniently distracted myself from essential book writing long enough that I came close to buying equipment to become a beekeeper. I even imagined an area along the green field paths where I would set up my stack of trays and start my new hobby, maybe selling honey and lavender by the roadside. Idyllic, yes, and delightfully romantic in its own way.

That was last year, but while thinking back, drinking my morning tea this past week—BAM! It hit me!

The bees benefit others through their pollination, just like people do when networking!

Years ago, when I was a regional manager in NYC for BASF’s Textile Division, I was dubbed a “pollinator” by a talented woman, Janine James. She owned a branding and marketing agency in NYC that our division had hired. She later told me she would delight to see me always connecting with people through the many events we were actively involved. I would link people all over the Northeast, where I mostly traveled. Connecting seemed natural to me, like pollen is for the bees.

In my newly released book, Secrets of a Serial Networker, available on Amazon, I share a common theme about referrals: You never know who you might meet who needs to know you. And on the flip side, you never know who they know who needs to know you. Never burn a bridge. You can find something interesting about anyone if you take the time to ask better questions than “What do you do?"

I want to share how bees—those fascinating little superheroes—can "bee" role models with you as a networker, aka, beekeeper.

• The best way to become a good beekeeper (networker) is to understand better the bees (clients) you want to work with.
• Bees have keen senses of vision, taste, and smell and thrive in their search for pollen, their primary goal. As a networker, where will you find the right group where your connection would be a win-win?
• Everyone benefits from a bee's pollination. Like your clients, you want to help them solve the one problem that would make a difference in their business toward achieving success. (Seventy percent of people make purchasing decisions to solve problems, and 30 percent make decisions to gain something. What problem do you solve?)
• Knowing your bee's target market and its goal will help you understand the vital role bees will play in helping you as a beekeeper grow your colony to flourish and keep the honey (biz $$) flowing.
• Did you know a bee’s survival is constantly at risk? As a beekeeper/networker, you must attend to the hives (your clients) and follow up to keep them active.
• Studies show that bees like the humans who take good care of them. Bees can detect human faces, which means they can recognize and build trust with their human caretakers. Many of us are aware of the know, like, and trust factor when it comes to human connection, and it seems to be the same with bees.

Bees have survived for centuries. How long will you?

Following a few tips from the bees can make you busy as a bee, buzzing around being a successful pollinator.

If you master knowing your target audience, master your approach, give 100 percent attention to your new connection, manage and grow your network, and don’t avoid the most critical follow-up, you can create your land of honey.

If you would like my "A" List of my Top 3 Costly Mistakes, Every Networker Must Avoid, opt into my website: htpp://www.AnneGarlandEnterprises.com

Secrets of a Serial Networker (Aviva Publishing) is a networking guide to "Connect, Serve, and Attract More Bees, I mean Clients!

This book is for people who hate networking and sales and have to do it. I make it fun!