When Networkers Move

By Peter Biadasz, Southern Plains Bureau Chief
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During my brief life I have had more than experience of moving to a new city in which I knew virtually no one, yet things turned out quite well. Thank God for networking. Recently a friend and co-author, Wayne Anderson, and his wife, moved to what was for them a new city. The Andersons are master networkers so it was with great curiosity that I followed up with them to see how quickly they settled into their new surroundings. It was no surprise at all to see that networkers can make a new place home very quickly.

Here are some tips from Wayne and myself to guarantee that your next new city or town becomes home to you in no time at all:

• Inform your network of your impending move. Ask them to share with you people they know in the area (family, friends, customers, etc.) as well as anything else they may know about your new location. Learn who in your network may have even vacationed there in the past.
• Contact the local Chamber of Commerce for a visitor/newcomer packet of information as soon as possible. After you receive the information, call all company’s with toll free numbers requesting information. Not only will this give you great current information to read as you travel to your new home town, but will also give you the names of prospects to network with immediately. My first business call in my current city was on someone who sent me a “welcome to town letter” (even though I was not yet in town). That business relationship has lasted well over a decade.
• Use online networking systems to learn who your connections are in the area. Participate in a number of professional online networking groups (e.g. LinkedIn, Facebook, Fast Pitch, Ecademy, etc.). Most of these services have the option to perform searches for people in your network based on location. Performed searches for people in your new area and make contact with them. They may be instrumental in helping your awareness of the key networking activities that exist in the area.
• Contact local Toastmaster clubs and other service and professional organizations in the area to determine which is the most convenient in which to participate. Look at location (i.e. both close to home and close to work) as well as meeting times.
• Meet as many neighbors as possible in the surrounding area within the first month of living in your new area. This will help you learn who the people were in the neighborhood that were also networkers and/or participated in the same activities as yourself.
• Contact the leader of the local Chamber of Commerce. The leader of the Chamber is an excellent source of the business activities in the area that are good networking opportunities. In addition, most Chamber of Commerce organizations have regular business networking events. It is important to get to know when those events occur and get “plugged in” as soon as possible.
• Contact the leaders of the major key charities. The leaders of major charities (e.g. United Way) generally are looking for business volunteers. Most of the business people that volunteer for those types of charities also are master networkers. Therefore, participating in those activities, by default, connects you with professional networkers in the area.

Networkers never meet strangers, just friends and associates they have yet to get to know better. By following these simple guidelines you will be amazed at how quickly and comfortably you and your family will feel right at home in your new town or city. Plus, your co-workers who have lived there all their lives will be amazed at how many people you know, especially for being the “new guy/girl” in town. If you want to network with Wayne L. Anderson in Colorado, he is the President and Chief IT Strategist at Anderson Professional Systems Group, LLC, an IT management consulting company that trains and coaches CIO’s of fortune 500 companies. He also works with senior IT professionals and corporations to further their long and short-range goals using information technology. The author of two books: Unwrapping the CIO: Demystifying the Chief Information Officer Position as well as Powerful People Are Powerful IT Professionals, plus numerous articles regarding successful IT management, Wayne is a keynote speaker at a number of professional organizations and academic institutions. Learn more about Wayne at www.apsg-ltd.com or e-mail. House-warming gifts are still being accepted.

 

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