Cape Town - The rivalry between South Africa’s big cities has been raging for decades. But despite personal preference, it’s sometimes necessary to cross the borders and do business with each other.
Networking guru Karl Smith, offers a look into the psyche of the big cities, and how we relate to each other.
Smith, who started Business Networking SA in 2007, describes himself as the “go-to-networking guy”. He believes that building the right professional relationships is critical for business and career success.
“It’s the best professional tool for people who want to get up to speed in a new job fast, get the job done, get behind organisational initiatives, get the most from conferences and meetings, get the business, get a job, get a promotion and get ahead,” says Smith.
But Cape Town, Durban and Joburg have different ways of doing business and using networks. Smith explains that there are two kinds of networks: open and closed. In the open network, the parties don’t know each other. The networker can combine information from some of his or her contacts and create something new and innovative.
In the closed network, all contacts know one other and these are easier to maintain. If all your friends (or acquaintances) know each other, then you are likely to be in a closed network and you are unlikely to be able to generate innovative ideas. However, closed networks are better at providing emotional support and enforce the norms of collaboration.
Cape Town has long been accused of being cliquey, but Smith believes it’s simply full of closed networks. In both Cape Town and Durban, people choose networks based on self-similarity. “Obviously, it is easier to build trusting relationships with people who view the world through the same lens you do; you expect the person to act as you would in ambiguous situations,” says Smith.
Joburg, the financial and commercial powerhouse of South Africa, tends to attract people from different parts of the country and the world. There, networks are open. “Ideally, one’s network should combine the elements of open and closed networks.”
Smith notes that relationships in Cape Town and Durban established over time in closed networks tend to have significant overlap between professional and personal concerns; it is not uncommon that a valuable business contact is also a close friend.
Unlike their Cape Town and Durban counterparts, it appears as if in Joburg’s open networks, personal relationships are clearly separated from business. All of these elements do affect how business people from the cities relate to each other. In Joburg, business is done with trust resulting from evidence of how competent and reliable the parties are. In Cape Town and Durban, however, trust is based on reliability and the relationship.
Smith is based in Cape Town, but has worked, trained and coached in all the cities.
“I can tell you that many Joburgers simply can’t understand why most Capetonians and Durbanites have to get to know, trust and like someone before signing the deal. When I say I trust you, I say that I know who you are, what you stand for, what your capabilities are and I know your track record … and that takes time,” says Smith.
When building a successful and powerful personal network, diversity is the key, says Smith. While people tend to notice differences when they first interact with people from another culture, we are more alike than we think, he says. “Networking relationships in South Africa, despite cultural and other differences, are still based on face-to-face knowing, personal experience and judgement of abilities, consistency, reliability and motive.” – Feature Writer
Networking no-no’s
* People can smell a selfish networker a mile away. Don’t go with your hand out. Listen to those you talk to. Strive to help those within your network. Add value first.
* Don’t blah… blah… yada… yada… when you deliver your Verbal Business Card or your Personal Branding Statement. When you respond to the question, “What do you do?”, develop and practise a crisp, interesting and memorable response.
* Don’t go to a networking event thinking the next person you shake hands with will be your next “mark”, your next job, your next customer or client. Learn how to earn trust and credibility.
* Don’t let people know you are unsuccessful. Success attracts success. No one wants to deal with people who need hand-holding.
* Don’t focus on differences in conversations. Search for common ground. It may take a while, but there is surely something to bring you closer.
* Don’t talk about yourself too much. We’ve all met that person who is all, “me, me, me”, and no one sticks around to talk to them for long. People are not impressed by the answers you give, rather the questions you ask. Spend 90 percent talking about them and 10 percent about you.
* Don’t “bug” people. Accept the fact that not everyone is going to warm to you. Just leave such individuals alone and move on.
* Don’t think that online networking can replace offline efforts. You can start business relationships online, but it’s only when people read your body language and shake hands that they really want to do business with you.
For more information on networking, visit: www.businessnetworkingsouthafrica.co.za
Cape Argus