It works
You don't have to take my word for it. Talk to any successful consultant and they'll tell you that's how they got their business. It's how I got all of mine. I have 10 clients right now, depending on how you count, and they all came from networking.
Research agrees. In Learn to Love Networking (Harvard Business Review, 2016), Tiziana Casciaro, Francesca Gino and Maryam Kouchaki describe a study of 165 lawyers at a large North American firm. Those who found networking distasteful and avoided it had fewer billable hours than their peers.
Four opinions on how much
In a couple of days, I heard four different answers. A networking group that was new to me recommended two and a half hours a week inside their group. A guy on a webinar who is heavy on networking schedules an hour and a half a day.
Then there's me. I could take on more clients, so I'm somewhere between maintenance and growth, and I spend about two full days a week networking. That's around 16 hours. I've also talked with people who spend more than half their time on it, and they aren't building, they're already built and maintaining.
Last, I asked ChatGPT. It suggested 10 to 15 hours a week when you're starting or rebuilding a pipeline, 5 to 10 with a stable practice and a healthy pipeline, and 3 to 5 when you're fully booked. Honestly, I think that sounds light.
Don't stop when you get busy
I do as much networking as I possibly can. When paid work starts horning in and I don't have enough time, I back off some. But don't make the classic mistake of stopping altogether, which is what many people do. That's why they ride the roller coaster of busy, slow, busy, slow.
If you want help keeping the networking going while you do the paid work, look at my LinkedIn networking service, or book a networking chat.