By: Sonja Stetzler
You’ve come home from the conference with a stack of business cards from
people whom you have met. Now what? Don’t let them sit on the corner of
your desk until next year. It’s time to start developing and building
relationships with newly added members to your network. A quick "Nice to
have met you" or "It was great to see you again" e-mail gets you
started in the right direction with developing a relationship with your
contact.
The next step involves shifting your focus on giving.
What do the people in your network need? Information? Connections? If
you give something to somebody, they will generally give you more than
what you gave him/her according to the Law of Reciprocity. Giving first
positions you as a resource.
What do you have to give? Try the 4 I’s : Information, Introductions, Invitations, and Interaction.
Information – Share relevant or helpful information to one person in
your network each day. You might have read an article or blog post that
might be pertinent to that person’s work. Sharing useful information is
one of the easiest ways to let a colleague know you are thinking of her.
This may lead to a deeper conversation about the topic you just sent to
her and allows for an opportunity to advance the relationship.
Introductions – Introduce two people in your group who don’t know each
other yet have a common interest (could be a professional interest or
personal interest). If you are not comfortable making the introduction,
ask each individual if they would like to be introduced. Chances are
they would, since many are looking to meet others with common interests
and expand their own networks.
Invitations – If you are
sponsoring an event/webinar or going to an event that you think a
colleague would enjoy, invite him or her – especially if the event is
relevant to their business or industry. Make it a win-win where your
colleague can gain new knowledge or contacts through you.
Interactions – Recognize birthdays and other special days of members in
your network with a card, e-mail or phone call. Social media sites such
as LinkedIn and Facebook make it easy to reach out, and a small gesture
of kindness will go a long way to nurture your network.
You say
you don’t have time to connect? If you are just reaching out to 1 person
a day, it should only take 10-15 minutes. And over time, if you invest
in your network, you will see your network flourish. You will experience
better relationships, and you will stay top of mind to the people who
are important to you in achieving your goals.
Only the top 1% of all people take the next step to grow their network and make a connection – are you part of that 1%?
Sonja Stetzler, MA, RD is a communications and public speaking coach
who works with business and healthcare professionals to improve their
presentation skills so that they can grow their business or advance in
their careers. For FREE tips on improving your presence on the platform,
visit www.effectiveconnecting.com
Article Source:
http://www.articlebiz.com/article/1051620184-1-the-next-steps-to-build-your-network
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