As a business owner you know a lot of people, and you continue to meet new people. This is your network. But what are you doing with it? How often do you connect with people in your network? Do you have a plan to stay in touch consistently and develop your relationships?

If you’ve been neglecting your network it’s time to make some changes. It’s never too late to begin where you are and start connecting with the people you know.

Networking is about giving first. It’s about building relationships over time with people. If you don’t invest in nurturing and growing your relationships with people in your network, then your network will become nothing more than a list of names in a database.

When you stay in touch and develop relationships with people, your business will be top of mind when people need your products or services. This also increases the number of referrals people will give to your business.

To nurture a relationship, you must give it attention and energy. There are loads of ways to connect with people (many of which are very inexpensive). You can:

* Pick up the phone

* Send an e-mail

* Send a note the old fashioned way (otherwise known as snail-mail using the post)

* Meet in person for coffee, lunch or a drink

Finding a reason to connect isn’t hard to do. You don’t have to wait for something big to happen; little things can mean a lot too. Here are just a few ideas:

- No specific reason, just to see what’s new and catch up

- Birthdays or anniversaries

- Sharing an article, book, website, or other resource

How often you touch base depends on the kind of relationship you have with each person. For some people connecting twice a year is perfect and for others every three months is appropriate.

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Before we talk about specific networking tips I want to address a critical aspect of networking that is often overlooked. Sometimes we are so eager to network that we don’t stop to consider whether or not we are investing our energy in the right places.

Listen, you can go to all of the networking meetings under the sun and collect hundreds of business cards while you’re at it but if you’re not hanging out with people you can do business with, you might make some new friends, you won’t necessarily grow your business.

If you want to grow your business by networking it is imperative that you network with: people who are your ideal clients, people who know your ideal clients, and/or people who do business with your ideal clients. It’s that simple. So before you sign up for your next networking event, ask yourself if it is a good fit for your business.

When you network with people who need your products/services(or know others who do) there will be a natural interest in knowing more about your business. Stop, not so quick – the story of you and your business comes later. First, let’s walk through what happens at a networking event and I will give you a tip for each step.

Step 1: Meeting People

Enter the room with confidence, stand up straight and smile. Look for a friendly face and introduce yourself. If you don’t see an opportunity to meet someone right away don’t panic. A sure fire way to strike up a conversation is to get in a line(to sign in, for food, for drinks, for the restrooms). You can also approach the person hosting the event and ask for an introduction. In addition, if the list of attendees is available prior to the meeting you can identify someone you would like to meet and approach someone to ask if the person you are looking for is at the meeting.

Step 2: Getting to Know People – The Ed Principle

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People make snap judgments in all their interactions. According to Malcolm Gladwell’s Blink, you have two seconds before someone jumps to a conclusion. You have two seconds to state your initial marketing message.

On your website, you have two seconds to convey who your web page is targeting. Make it obvious through the use of headlines, layout, menu names, and graphics your exact message.

When you meet someone, how you dress, where you look, your facial expressions, your tone of voice, and the words you use all quickly tell people about you. Make yourself easy to approach and give each person your full attention.

In your emails, make your subject line both interesting and accurate. Most people look through their email in-boxes first by seeing who sent the mail, and then the subject of the email. If it doesn’t pass their internal filter, the email is often deleted even before it’s read. You don’t want emails from you to be equated to spam.

In your correspondence, make your opening sentence on-target. If your letter doesn’t give me a reason to continue reading, then I’ll quickly toss it, and read my next letter.

In your advertising, the image and headline you choose will either attract or repel the reader’s eye. The image should reflect your copy, headline, and branding. An image that doesn’t jibe with the copy quickly becomes eye candy, and reduces the believability of your message.

When you answer the phone, do people feel welcomed? Do you speak slowly enough to make sure the caller knows if they dialed correctly? Do you clearly say the name of your business?

When you leave a message, do you say your name, company name, and phone number at the start of the message clearly?

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Networking still tops the charts to find the right work. Moreover, although I remain an advocate for the strength of in-person networks, I can see the growing success of online social networks. They’re bubbling to the surface and gaining popularity!

I’ve been a member of LinkedIn for a while now. However, it never really grabbed me. Maybe it’s because this online social network’s target audience is professionals, without the feeling of personal rapport. I’ve also noticed an underlying trend in which people appear more interested in “adding numbers” of connections to grow their business instead of building real relationships based on trust - something I believe is foundational to networking. 

Out of curiosity, I decided to join Facebook, partly as a way to grow friendships and partly to see whether I could use it to nurture a meaningful network. So far, the activity has been slow, but I hear it builds momentum over time. We’ll see.  

In the meantime, these recent experiences with online social networks have shown me this: The line between social and professional networking is really blurred! 

If you’re searching for work – looking for a new job or an entirely new career – where do you draw the line? Recognize that online social networks such as Facebook showcase the whole person. You’re opening your kimono (so to speak) and letting the whole world see the real you. 

If you’re on the prowl for a job, review your Facebook or MySpace profile. Make sure it’s personable, yet professional. This is an amazing opportunity to present to your potential employers who you are - your interests, passions, observations - while still maintaining your professionalism and integrity. Remember, everyone can peek into your worldview. You want to build your reputation, not taint it. 

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