Recently a friend told me that "real" entrepreneurs didn't have time to network. Networking, he said, was a term used to justify socializing by the business community and generally a waste of time, a luxury not available to the struggling entrepreneur.

The comment got me thinking about this age old tradition. What is this thing we call networking? A glance at several dictionaries and comments from other sources less famous than Webster produced the following phrases: a structure of cords or wires that cross at regular intervals... an interconnected or interrelated group... a group linked by wire or radio relay... something resembling a net consisting of parts, passages, or routes that cross, branch out or interconnect... the good "old boy" system (emphasis added).

Could all this boil down to the exchange of information? If so how can this be a waste of time? Why would anyone hoping to expand his/her business not want to take advantages of the opportunities available through the exchange of ideas... stories of success and failure and advice from those who have already "been there"?

Networking as a marketing tool is visible to us each day. Just look at the fresh new faces in local service clubs, golf leagues and Chambers of Commerce who are trying to find the right people to invest in the stock market, buy insurance, financial planning programs and other personal services. Networking is the development of a personal, interconnected, system that allows one to hone in on the power people; those who make decisions to buy products and services.

I recently spoke with a group of Human Resource people who greed that the most efficient method of filling job opening is through referral by friends and colleagues, Most confirmed that major positions are seldom advertised publicly.

In addition to employment leads and business referrals, networks can often provide access to important information not otherwise available.

If you are convinced that networking is for you, then perhaps the following simple hints will help you be effective: be pleasant, be neat, be sincere and be prepared,

Where do you sharpen this new skill? Anywhere you find yourself with one or more persons: service clubs, social clubs, churches, fraternal and professional organizations, trade groups, industry gatherings, cocktail parties and other social gatherings.

I wonder how many companies that are struggling to be recognized are run by those "real" entrepreneurs who can't find the time to share their needs and others' experiences. How many of them could overcome the obstacles they face by letting others know of their need for products and services. How many of them realize that the best and often the least costly form of marketing is the informal direct approach to a potential client.

I wonder if there would be a Greenfield Village if Henry Ford and Thomas Edison had not networked in one form or another. Could Sears have survived without Roebuck? Who would have given us drills, saws and routers if Black hadn't met Decker? Some great business alliances have evolved from networking in one form or another... I call that marketing!