Have you wondered if men and women approach business and interact differently? Founder of networking group Women with Altitude Andrea Turner-Boys believes so. She writes about those differences and invaluable female traits. Women with Altitude has networking groups in Penrith, The Hills and the Hawkesbury.
While gender neutrality might make it easier for men and women to do business, the fact remains there are fundamental differences in how men and women conduct business, and in particular, the way they approach networking.
Women tend to be great listeners.
Having good listening skills is advantageous in business networking.
Learning about what a business person has to offer and the challenges they may be facing gives you a better understanding of how you could use their product or service or how to help them.
Listening also builds trust and the foundations for a good relationship.
Women are naturally supportive and generous.
They think about who they can introduce you to, who might need your service or how they can support you.
Women often connect on an emotional level and need time to build trust, which can be achieved by developing business connections over time.
When trust is gained there is often a wonderful flow-on effect of referrals and the development of business partnerships.
Men are usually more direct.
They approach networking with a need for a service and will seek out certain business people.
This can be an efficient way of doing things, but there can be great gains in talking with people with whom there is no immediate benefit as they may make referrals, introductions or be able to offer help in different ways.
In business networking it's usually not advisable to sell directly.
While promotion has its place in the business world, networking is more about forming relationships.
Women new to business networking may find it daunting, but your natural feminine qualities will make it easy for you to form business connections.
There are a range of business networks available — try a few out to find the right fit for you.