Since When Did Networking Become Such a Huge Deal?

Using LinkedIn, Facebook, and business events to your advantage.

It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.

This cliché can certainly pertain to all different aspects of life, but none truer than that of business.  In business, it truly is all about who you know, not what you know.  From landing your first job out of college to partnering with some of your community’s biggest movers and shakers, building and maintaining business relationships is critical when working in and working on a business.

But when did networking become such a big deal?  Networking and building strong relationships has always been an important in the business world.  But today, with tools such as LinkedIn and Facebook, networking seems to have taken a dramatic turn.   And perhaps for the better. 

Let’s take a look at the facts. 

66,266,528 :: the number of people that are currently using LinkedIn.  Almost half of these users are located within the United States.  But are you utilizing LinkedIn correctly? 

1.5 million :: the number of local businesses that have Facebook pages that you can visit and network on.  But are you using these Facebook pages to your advantage?

79% :: your chances of sealing a deal are 79% higher when business networking is involved.  But are you meeting the right people in the right settings to get the deals sealed?

To answer all of these questions (and many more) Think Big Partners is hosting Launch and Learn: Marketing You Through Networking in collaboration with KC Young Professionals.  LeadTunnel co-founder and networking expert James Moburg will present real-life lessons from his networking experiences and provide tips and strategies to network effectively on- and offline.

“Most young people have a ton of opportunities to network.  They just don’t know how to do it right," says Moburg.  "Time is an investment itself, and i can help people get a big return on their investment by following my techniques."

The Launch and Learn Series will take place on March 9, 2011 from 11:30AM until 1:00PM at Think Big Partners location (1800 Baltimore, Kansas City, MO). 

During Marketing You Through Networking, Moburg will focus on the following areas:

• How networking can improve and empower you (with examples from real life stories)
• The two crucial networking areas you can personally focus on in 2011
• The 101 crash course in how to maximize your networking event experience
• Marketing yourself effectively in the long run and becoming more memorable

But Moburg is looking forward to teaching more than just that. 

“I want people to leave this Launch and Learn event with three things,” he said.  “First, I want people to feel empowered to take their networking skills to the next level.  Second, I want attendees to use my personal examples of networking as proven strategies.  Third, I want to help people to stand out for the rest of their lives.”

Are you ready to stand out for the rest of your life? 

If so, join Moburg, Think Big Partners and KC Young Pros for an inside look at playing the networking game.   

Register today!

Written by Allison Way.  Allison is a writer for Think Big Partners, Kansas City’s mentorship-based startup accelerator and business incubator.  To read more of Allison’s work, check out the Kansas City Entrepreneurship Examiner as well as her articles on Helium, eZine and BrooWaha.  Follow Allison! @AllisonThinkBig