The Hitchhikers guide to the Networking Galaxy

If you haven't found yourself in a location surrounded by people that are not in your networking "circle", you need to expand your horizons. There is a galaxy of opportunity out there and you need to constantly explore.
I recently attended the Wilmington Rose Society Annual Convention. Okay, I kill my plants and buy my roses from the store - so what was a girl like me doing in a place like this? Networking. When I was invited to the convention I automatically pictured what the attendees were like and what the atmosphere would be. My first instinct was to decline the invitation. How would I fit in? I realized that the true reason I was adamant was because it was outside of my comfort zone. It was not about my fitting in (anyone who knows me, knows that I could probably pull off a Star Trek Convention), it was about being in a situation where I had already developed an expectation of what the members were like and the inconvenience of having to start at the beginning with introductions.
One thing that I have learned about networking over the years is that there is a fine line between networking and socializing. Networking by definition should be getting you from one point to another, to another and so on.
I am not suggesting that you infiltrate any and all opportunities for the purpose of self promotion, but what I am suggesting is to embrace opportunities that will expose you to people that you would not normally interact with. Step outside of your comfort zone and put yourself in a place where you don't know anyone. At one point in time you stepped into that first meeting and introduced yourself. You made connections, your purpose was clear. After time though, we become comfortable and chances are networking has become more about being social. Don't become complacent in your networking, don't assume you know enough people and they know enough about you. If you have not walked into a new room with strangers chances are you are missing out on the excitement that once pulsed through you when talking about yourself and your business. It's a relationship that you have with your business you, and like any other relationship, it needs to be sparked.
After two days with the Rose Society, I met over one hundred people, talked about my business and developed a new appreciation for rose cultivation. The people I met were warm, interested and interesting. Some of my preconceptions were correct, many way off base. Overall, it was a great opportunity and a new exploration within my galaxy of networking.