By Joel Ruell
The more people you know and/or the more people who presume to know you, the greater your chances are of finding success. Marketers and advertisers don’t pump billions of dollars into commercials, radio ads, pay-per-click marketing campaigns, catalogs and direct email for nothing. They know that if they expand their professional network, they’ll grow their chances of gaining more sales.
Effective networking doesn’t have to gobble up your time
But, that’s not all. Try looking for a job in today’s crowded job search market without knowing at least two influential people, and you might find it takes you twice as long to get a job compared to people you know who have a robust network of influencers. It not only “who,” but “how many whos” you know that can determine how much your daily efforts pay off.
The telephone is your friend in regards to professional network building. Call former colleagues, supervisors and friends you haven’t spoken with in awhile. Strike up genuine conversations with these people, finding out what they’ve been doing since you last saw them. Note contacts who are working in industries or markets, you want to work in. They may know influential people who can pull strings to get you through open doors.
Other ways you can grow your professional network may surprise you. See how many of these efforts you’re already making. Consider incorporating new efforts into your networking plan.
• Make two to five calls a day to influential people in your passion area (i.e. arts, business, sports, education, science). Introduce yourself to these people, letting them know who are you, what your specialty areas are and how you can help them achieve their goals.
• Join a professional network, ones you have a sincere interest in participating in. If you join too many networks, you might not stay actively engaged in any of them.
• Attend trade events, again in industries you want to work in.
• Ask people you meet at networking events questions about their personal and business goals. Avoid limiting your conversations to “you”.
• Offer suggestions to professionals you meet, steps they can take to get closer to the fulfillment of their goals.
• Create a newsletter and distribute it to influencers in your industry (make sure you get each subscribers opt-in before you send out newsletters).
• Send influencers holiday cards, calendars, etc. Keep this up year-after-year, and you’ll start get noticed.
• Congratulate influencers on their recent successes (i.e. promotion, company expansion).
• Send contacts “thank you” notes or cards when they introduce you to an influencer, put in a good word for you with an employer, etc.
Having a genuine respect and appreciation for people also goes a long way. Seek ways to help others with as much passion as you seek new ways for others to help you as you grow your professional network.
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