Keeping a Finger on the Pulse of Your Connections

How many connections have you made in your professional career? Too many to count, I’m guessing.

Business professionals are constantly networking, meeting new people. We go to these events and go through the same spiel over and over again.

Many people complain that networking is not fruitful for them or their business. It’s not networking that’s not working, it’s the way you’re networking.

There are people who constantly go to networking events and meet new people. They feel they are networking to the best of their capability. They are shaking hands and getting business cards – isn’t that the name of the game?

The problem is that they connect with someone and if that connection cannot help them immediately, they forget about them and move on to the next. If this is the way you are networking, you’ll be correct when saying that networking is not working.

Those who get the most from their networking efforts are those who build meaningful relationships. Instead of worrying about meeting as many people as time allows, they worry about creating meaningful connections with the people they do meet.

Networking is not just about finding your next sale or a strategic partner. Networking is also about creating evangelists for your brand: people who will go out and spread the word about your amazing services.

Who is more likely to be an evangelist for your brand and recommend your services: someone you spoke to for fifteen minutes at a networking event and then never again, or someone who you communicate with regularly and have built a rapport with? You know the answer.

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