Who ... Me? Networking .... ??

I was lucky enough to attend the "Women on the Move" luncheon given by Main Line Today Magazine last month, as two of my friends were honored. I was going for the fun, and to support my friends, yet a lot of people told me it would be a great networking opportunity to get the word out about Fabulous Shoe Night. 

Oh … I never really thought of it that way.

Networking is not something that comes naturally to me, as I've never had to do it. Before my entry into full-time Mommy-hood, I was a nurse, and, unless you had administrative aspirations, you just did your job and collapsed at the end of each shift. Simple enough. The same with motherhood … do your "job," and pretty much collapse at the end of each day … hoping that when your head hit the pillow it actually was the end of your day. Sure, there are always those Mommies in any neighborhood, pre-school playground, etc. that try to cozy up to the "popular" Mom … but, if you want to get technical, they're actually social climbing, not networking. Not something to aspire to.

So, I went to the luncheon with some new terminology swimming about my head … I wasn't just there to support my friends, I was also there to "network" and "make contacts." 

Okay. 

Ummm …. okay. 

For those of you who may not know me personally, did I mention that I'm shy? I am. For those of you who do know me, please stop giggling. I say that because, every time I mention what I feel to be my innate shyness to one of my friends, they always burst out laughing, at which point I usually stamp my foot in frustration while insisting that I really am shy. This is always followed by more laughter, then another foot stamp and a more emphatic "Really!!!" ... with perhaps a mild expletive thrown in. My wonderful friend Danel is a perfect example of this;  she burst into a fit of giggles when I once mentioned my shyness. The more I protested, the more (and harder) she laughed. Ten minutes later we just had to call a truce and agree to disagree … each confident that we were actually the right one.

Armed with the knowledge that I was there to harvest "contacts," I scanned the crowd nervously. How does one go about this networking, I wondered? Forgetting my mission, I soon became engrossed looking at all the women's shoes. Old habits die hard, I guess. Before I knew it, though, someone was complimenting me on my shoes. We got to chatting. One thing led to another, and before I had time to think about the answer, I was asked what it was I "did." My usual answer, "I'm a stay-at-home Mom … I have three sons," was on the tip of my tongue before I caught it. Instead, I answered, " I'm forming a women's social group combining fashion and charity for fabulous women … it's called Fabulous Shoe Night." Previously, my answer regarding full-time motherhood would be met by a myriad of reactions ranging from admiration to all-out pity, so I was unprepared for what came next. "Wow!! Really??! That sounds like so much fun! Tell me more!" Before I knew it, the one woman I was talking to had morphed into five. They all had questions for me. Someone tapped my shoulder and said there was someone on the other side of the room who wanted to meet me. Wait … wanted to meet  me?  Oh … okay.

By the end of the luncheon, I had a purse full of business cards, two lunch dates, and an offer to do PR. Oh, yeah … and an invitation to join a women's networking group.

Networking group, you ask?

Not to worry … I've got this networking thing covered.