{"id":968,"date":"2021-06-03T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-06-03T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/5-quotes-to-kick-your-fear-of-networking-in-the-pants\/"},"modified":"2026-02-12T04:43:33","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T09:43:33","slug":"networking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/networking\/","title":{"rendered":"5 quotes to kick your fear of networking in the pants"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t5 quotes to kick your fear of networking in the pants\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\tKay Dexter<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Networking. Small talk. Approaching complete strangers and striking up conversations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Feel uncomfortable yet?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You’re probably not the only one. As the economy reopens with the decrease of coronavirus cases, companies are welcoming their employees back to offices, the hospitality sector is adding jobs<\/a>, and inevitably, networking will be back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For some, just the word \u201cnetworking\u201d can trigger a bit of anxiety. One study<\/a> found that the notion of networking leaves people feeling physically dirty and morally impure. Yikes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, what\u2019s the deal? Is networking itself an icky pursuit\u2026or are our perceptions of networking simply inaccurate? We lean towards the latter. Networking is an absolutely key part of growing your business!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are five quotes to help you understand the true nature of networking and to kick your fear to the curb, once and for all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fear # 1: I\u2019ll run out of things to say.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe mark of a good conversationalist is not that you can talk a lot. The mark is that you can get others to talk a lot. Thus, good schmoozer\u2019s are good listeners, not good talkers.\u201d \u2013Guy Kawasaki<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Probably the number one misconception of networking is that the end goal is to sell. Don\u2019t put that kind of pressure on yourself. If you can show genuine interest in another human being, you\u2019ve won half the battle. So flex your listening skills, build others up and maybe even walk away with a few new friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fear # 2: I\u2019m introverted and people drain me.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf your business comes from relationships, relationships should be your business.\u201d \u2013Doug Ales<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hate to break it to you, but almost all business is reliant on connecting with other people. 95% say face-to-face meetings<\/a> are essential for establishing long-term business relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Does that mean you have to be surrounded by people 24\/7? No. But it does mean that you have to put yourself out there sometimes. So go for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fear # 3: I\u2019ll say something dumb.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you want to go somewhere, it is best to find someone who has already been there.\u201d \u2013Robert Kiyosaki<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

News flash\u2014networking isn\u2019t about having all the answers. You\u2019re there to discover and explore new possibilities. More than likely, the majority of people in the room have the same questions you do. Rather than stressing yourself out trying to be the expert, show some humility and allow someone else to be the authority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fear # 4: I don\u2019t want to come across as selfish.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe currency of real networking is not greed but generosity.\u201d \u2013Keith Ferrazzi<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Networking is not a self-serving promotional campaign. Rather than solely focusing on what you have to gain, think about all you have to offer. There is someone in the room who could greatly benefit from the service, product or solution you are offering. Period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fear # 5: I\u2019ll get bored.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNetworking is not about just connecting people. It\u2019s about connecting people with people, people with ideas, and people with opportunities. \u2013Michele Jennae<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s the good news\u2014networking doesn\u2019t have to be all about sparking small talk. If you\u2019re at a great networking event, the focus should be on connecting YOU with new ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Networking doesn\u2019t have to be scary. By changing the way you perceive networking, you can change the way you approach it to embrace your inner networking champion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article was first published in 2018 and has been updated for relevancy by the editor.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Networking. Small talk. Approaching complete strangers and striking up conversations. Feel uncomfortable yet? You’re probably not the only one. As the economy reopens with the decrease of coronavirus cases, companies are welcoming their employees back to offices, the hospitality sector is adding jobs, and inevitably, networking will be back. For some, just the word \u201cnetworking\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":87,"featured_media":1233,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[46,47],"tags":[128,153,279,152],"business_type":[40,41],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[56,57,58,55],"persona":[96,97,95],"imagine_tag":[],"coauthors":[637],"class_list":["post-968","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth-customers","category-people-leadership","tag-customer-acquisition","tag-growing-a-business","tag-sage-events","tag-starting-a-business","business_type-small-business","business_type-growing-business","industry-ecommerce","industry-financial-services","industry-nonprofit","industry-professional-services"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-us","author_name":"Kay Dexter","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/05\/DrumbeatCreative_GL_040414-74.jpg","imagine_tags":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice US","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/968","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/87"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=968"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/968\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/1233"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=968"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=968"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=968"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=968"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=968"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=968"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=968"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=968"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=968"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=968"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}