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Invest in your social capital for sure-fire success
By Krishna De
Oct 18, 2005

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Whether you are an employee of a company or an entrepreneur with your own business, building and nurturing your professional and social network is critical in helping you achieve your professional goals.

One of the key reasons that some business colleagues are more successful than others is that they have an extensive social network. Recent research by Reach a global communications company indicated that 75% of businesses or executives got their last job or commission through a networking contact.

Does the idea of networking turn you cold? Are you too busy and haven’t the time? Perhaps you don’t like walking into a room of people you don’t know? Isn’t the golfcourse the playground of networkers and you don’t play golf?

Well the chances are you’re missing out on business development opportunities or the chance to land that job you’d always wanted.

Networking can play an integral role in helping expand your business and career. Yet amazingly, many of us have not made steady, deliberate efforts towards building and nurturing our networks. To really amass social capital we need to focus on building new relationships and at the same time, actively maintaining your existing contacts.

To really build social capital, you need to embrace the number one rule of networking: GIVE. Investing in your network means that you give before you seek to get; do for others before you ask them to do something for you. Focus on adding to the net worth of someone else before requesting them to add to your own.

Networking is not about building superficial contacts, it's about building relationships. Just as with all relationships, the most successful ones aren't onesided.

When you approach networking from the perspective of giving, you develop longlasting relationships by making small but steady deposits into your 'social capital account', steadily increasing their value.

Many people concentrate on building their networks through professional associations and external activities, and increasingly people are looking to virtual networks like and business exchanges such as Ryze, LinkedIn, Ziggs, Zoom and LinkedIn.

These are valuable forums and tools to expand your business contacts, but networking isn't just about connecting with strangers. Nothing replaces the power of persontoperson contact of someone actually experiencing your business and brand through an individual oneonone connection with you.

In considering the people I know who are extremely well connected, I realise they all have one thing in common: they nurture and build their network every day. They plan those activities which will generate new network contacts while strengthening relationships with the members of their existing network.

5 ways to GIVE to your network

Here are 5 ideas to get your started on nurturing your network:

 

Connecting people

One of the most valuable things you can do for members of your network is to connect members with each other. Consider which connections between members of your network would be mutually valuable: amazing things can happen.

 

Share information

When you read an article you think would be interesting to a member of your network, mail a copy to them ­ they’ll really appreciate the valuable information and thoughtfulness that come with it. When you visit a web site, think about your network members who could do their jobs better from knowing about that site ­

then send a link. Many sites have ‘mail this to a friend' buttons to make it as simple as two clicks and a brief form. Sharing relevant sites is a valuable service you can

provide to friends and colleagues.

 

Bring along a friend

If you're attending a conference, networking meeting, training course or any other type of event, invite members of your network to attend with you. You'll have an opportunity to spend time with them and again, they'll appreciate the thought.

 

Share leads

When you stumble on a job lead that isn't quite right for you, consider who in your network would love it. Share the job details along with valueadded comments on what you know about the opportunity and ideas on how they might win the tender or contract.

 

Remember special occasions

Make note of special days (birthdays, anniversaries, the day friends start new jobs or complete an important commission) and acknowledge these important events by sending a note, a card, or an ecard.

 

But remember to be focused and purposeful in your connections – you’ve limited time and resources so be clear about where you spend your time developing your network. Make sure you a member of networks that not only support your professional development but also give you the opportunity to put you in contact with potential clients from your target market. And if you can’t find a network that is relevant to you, start your own!

So the investment in networking is paying off, your order book is full, you’re enjoying connecting with others and you’ve the clients you’ve always dreamt of.

However beware! Don’t get too busy that you forget to spend a moment or two to thank those who helped you along the way. Perhaps a member of your network helped you proof read a proposal for a client – why not drop them a note and a small gift of appreciation? You’ll be sure they will remember you and be prepared to support you in the future if they know you recognised their hard work and time in helping you this time.

Building your support network can and should be fun! It can help you create solutions that are better than if you had tackled the challenge on your own and ultimately it will lead to greater professional success.

· Perfect your personal introduction – how do you answer the question ‘so what do you do?’ – make sure it’s engaging, compelling and makes a lasting and impactful statement when you meet people

· Ensure you always have your business card with you ­you never know when you may need it. But don’t go to networking meetings with the objective of passing out as many of your ‘calling cards as you can – it’s not a competition. Deeper more significant conversations rather than many superficial ones are much more effective.

· Send thankyou notes to people who have helped you. Keep in touch with them and let them know how things progress or the outcome of the leads they give you. Remember the world is very small – always be courteous and make sure that you leave a good and lasting impression.

· And remember the golden rule of networking: GIVE!

So why not try stepping out from behind your desk, get connected and nurture your network today?’

Krishna De is CoFounder and Managing Director of Oneocean Ltd and the creator of Biz Growth Live (www.bizgrowthlive.com), a free weekly teleseminar where she interview experts in how to build your brand, grow your business and leave your competition on the starting blocks!

Copyright © 2005 Oneocean Ltd. All rights reserved. Oneocean Ltd is a leading business growth consultancy with a difference – focusing on the unique strengths of your organisation and your people to unlock extraordinary performance and growth.


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