Networking is, and always has been, one of the most critical skills in business development. It is a skill that has opened doors, helped us build credibility and increased our odds of success. Although much has changed in business development over the past many years, the importance of networking has not.

For many of us business development professionals that began our careers in the '70s, '80s and '90s, networking was largely a face-to-face or telephone experience. We joined alumni groups, went to conferences and social events, and developed alliances in part to meet people and expand our network.

Although all of these activities are still valid, the world we live and work in has changed a great deal. It's not that in-person networking doesn't matter anymore - it does - but now more than ever, we need to effectively network digitally, too. Our ability to establish and develop relationships both online and offline is key to future success. 

Thankfully, we have new communities where we can connect and build our networks. LinkedIn and other social media platforms give us a place to connect with more people, more quickly. When used well, we're able to visualize the networks we've worked so hard to create (both in-person and online), keep those connections "warm", and leverage search functions to help us identify others in our 2nd degree networks that we may not have found before. But we need to use these tools in a way that is authentic and effective. (See this article for practical ideas on building a strong sales profile on LinkedIn, and this article for basic LinkedIn etiquette.)

Just because networking is easier now doesn't mean it is less important than it used to be. In fact, given the challenges of the world we work in (e.g., the availability of information, the rise of procurement, etc.) networking is more important than ever. Embracing all tools available to us makes us better at networking, which makes us more effective at selling our value to people who can buy it.


Can you help us out?

IMPAX has launched a State of Sales survey, and we need diverse perspectives regarding key sales topics. Your insights via the survey would be a huge help!

The survey is simple multiple choice & should take 15 minutes or less to complete. (Your individual responses will be aggregated with others, and thus kept strictly confidential.) To fill it out, please select whichever link best applies to your role & function:

Sales Leadership

Sales Professional

As a thank-you for participating, we'll send you a copy of the final report. Thanks in advance!