How To Make Your Network Work For Yo1

How to Make Your Network Work for You

Many people turn to networking when they’re looking for a job, but the best time to build your network is before you need something; and the best time to keep that network strong is always. But what is the best way to do that? Simply collecting business cards and attending events may expand your number of contacts, but does not increase the likelihood thatthose contacts will benefit you in the future. To reap the benefits of networking when you need them, you must know how to make your network work for you, and how you can work for your network.

What the Experts Say The most universally agreed upon networking tip is this: Offer to help others first, and they will return the favor. "You should always ask new contacts to tell you about a businesschallenge they are confronting," says Dr. Ivan Misner, PhD, lead author of Networking Like a Pro: Turning Contacts into Connections, and chairman of global networking organization BNI International. "That way, you might know someone who can help, and that’s the start of a relationship."

Misner teaches his clients to focus on gaining credibility, which grows, he says, when they keepappointments, act on promises, verify facts, and render services. "Failure to live up to expectations — to keep both explicit and implicit promises — can kill a budding relationship before it breaks through the ground," he warns.

Networking well makes for a brighter future, so Misner advises people to think beyond a current need. "People tend to forget about the importance of long-term credibility becausethey’re so focused on making an immediate sale," Misner says. "But with that approach, you only eat what you kill that day." Focus on becoming known and trusted instead; a longlasting relationship is more beneficial to both parties.

Lillian Bjorseth, author of Breakthrough Networking: Building Relationships That Last, reminds her clients to share information. "One of my favorite follow-upmethods is to send someone a relevant article, photo, anecdote, marketing tip, or other resource via email," she says. Follow-through on seemingly unimportant promises or casual conversations can be just as integral to business success as delivering a reliable product.

Make People Know You It’s not enough to be an expert on something if nobody knows you well enough to think about calling you.Creating an inviting image for yourself can generate business and opportunities. "Our research shows that people are much more likely to call if someone is not just an expert but also has initiated some sort of social exchange to make others comfortable," says Noshir Contractor, professor of behavioral sciences at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, who has done research on socialand knowledge networks.

While Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and other online networking sites can become time drains, online networking is useful for strengthening connections. By posting Facebook or Twitter links to relevant articles, you can provide value to your virtual friends and show your engagement with pertinent business issues. Writing original articles or posting commentary keeps youon other people’s minds and enables them to see how involved you are in your industry. It is an efficient way to continue a relationship with those you know.

But online communication is not enough, especially for newer contacts. The true benefit is that it often leads to in-person contact because people feel more comfortable initiating a meeting with someone they "know" electronically. It’sespecially important to seek and accept face-to-face meetings with newer contacts because technology can never match a human connection. In-person check-ins are useful for contacts you already know too, but given people’s busy schedules, it is most pressing to push for personal meetings with contacts you haven’t spent much time with outside of a group gathering.

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