By:  Keil Hackley, Founder and Partner Hackley & Robertson, P.A.

Having practiced immigration law for 31 years, I’ve done my share of networking.  I’ve been a founding board member of at least two Chambers of Commerce, two Think Tanks, one Bar Association, the president of an international business group, and a general member of countless other professional associations.  Not to mention my memberships in various charitable, service, and civic organizations, including the Rotary Club.

Admittedly I may be jaded, but in my experience, general membership in an organization is close to worthless unless you are amongst the few that have found value in simply handing out your business card to strangers.  Effective networking involves developing and nurturing professional relationships.  After all, who wants to refer a valued client to someone they just met? Certainly, I don’t. The good referrals are made by professionals who have confidence that they are sending their friend, client, or family member to a qualified professional with demonstrated skill and integrity.   Don’t forget, the referrer is putting their reputation at risk in making the referral in the first place.  Yes—networking is work, time consuming, and reciprocal.  Networking is not one-sided.   Receive a good referral and give one in exchange.  Reciprocity is inherent in the networking process.

Membership in whatever organization you join allows for various levels of commitment or no commitment whatsoever.  The choice is yours.  In my view, in order to maximize the opportunity to build good long-lasting professional relationships, you need to get involved. To some, like me, I immediately vie for a board seat while others join a committee.  Both inherently lead to relationship building.  In any case, the key to networking is to demonstrate your value to the organization, be consistent, and show the organization’s leadership that you can be counted on.  That’s what I call networking.  That is, until recently.

Last year I walked into a rather unique networking venue.  Like most networking events, the space was filled with individuals of various occupations interested in meeting others.  The difference was this.  All the individuals had at least one common interest:  Horses.  Some were horseracing fans, others were professional horseracing handicappers, while others were jockeys, race announcers, horse trainers, and people who simply love horses for the beautiful creatures they are.  As a horse owner, equine advocate, and racing fan, I was in my element.  I quickly bonded with a contract attorney who represents horse owners, a racing aficionado, a radio show host, and a few others with whom I immediately hit it off.  The last thing on my mind was marketing my immigration firm.

That venue was Twitter.  A venue new and strange to me and one I had never contemplated entering.  As a longtime horseracing fan, I was not far from awestruck at the people with whom I found myself conversing.  Conversations were about our mutual interest in the equestrian world.  It didn’t take long for those conversations to take the natural leap over to questions about family, occupation, and other interest and hobbies.  Yes, logging on Twitter was just like walking into a Chamber of Commerce event.  I had to have the confidence and finesse to enter into a conversation with people I didn’t know.  Yet, knowing these individuals shared my passion for horses, I found it a lot more comfortable, and quite frankly, fun.  I’ve been on Twitter over one year now and have made several close friends and quite a few acquaintances, many of whom have made referrals to my immigration firm.  Now, instead of two hour lunch meetings and after work business events, I look forward to entering a room full of friends from all over the world, meeting new people, and talking about our mutual passion: Horses.

There’s much more to tell, and if you have the inclination to follow my ventures from chambers of commerce on to Twitter, I hope you will look forward to my next Blog where I share my in-person experience with my new Twitter colleagues and provide some cautionary tips.

  With a team that includes former Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) attorneys and investigators, Hackley & Robertson is skilled and focused on helping clients with their immigration law cases.  Based in South Florida, Hackley & Robertson works with both companies and individuals. The information contained in the Blog does not constitute legal advice and should not be relied upon as such.  Feel free to give us your feedback on Twitter @ImmigrationPros or @Keil Hackley. You may also reach Keil Hackley by email at [email protected].   More information about the firm is found at www.HackleyRobertson.com.

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