Great achievers have always understood the necessity of the organized assistance of people. And networking has been the modus operandi of success. But successful networking doesn’t just happen by accident. Most of us have to learn to build our social network in order to have more successful lives.
Malcom Gladwell, in his book The Tipping Point, writes about “Connectors.” These are people who know an astonishing number of people because they have a personality type that can easily attract other people. They possess self-confidence, sociability, expressiveness, and energy that make them powerhouses in connecting people and creating large social networks. If you are not a person with this type of personality, you need to find some of these “connectors” so they can compensate for your weakness. Remember: the bigger your network, the more leverage you have.
In this age of a networked world, those who can make the best use of social networks can gain the most leverage. More than any other age-group, the young people of today seem to be more in tune with this, especially through social media such as Facebook and Twitter. These network facilities provide them with a myriad of affiliations, and their resulting web of connections is often huge. These are hidden resources that can make you really rich. One of the major reasons Facebook’s founder Mark Zuckerberg is worth an estimated $51.8 billion as of 2016 is because he leverages a network of more than 800 million people to market his business. So, if you want to join the “young rich people,” leveraging your network is a minimum requirement.
Since all business is done through people, you have to make contacts to get contracts. To do this, you have to work on developing people skills. For starters: develop an above-average handshake, a magnetic eye contact, and a radiant presence. Collect the names, email addresses, and phone numbers of all the people you meet. Choose to serve for the sake of serving. Help everyone whom you can help. Always go the extra mile and create relationships. Have outings, parties, events, or seminars to which you can invite your friends and potential clients. Choose to make yourself known. Over time you will automatically become part of the
Who’s Who by association.
One way to strengthen your network is to give something away for free that is valuable to those in your social circle. When you do that, don’t expect anything in return. Such an act of thoughtfulness can eventually build trust and make you stand out amongst others. And once you have created a network, stay in touch with all your contacts by e-mail, letter, phone call, or face-to-face. Do whatever it takes to maintain it. The Golden Rule of networking is: “Be very quick to build connections and very slow to break them.”
It is important that you have an organized system to maintain your social network. In this Internet age, having your own company’s website as well as a computer database to keep track of all your contacts is a must. My recommendation is that you organize all your contacts into several categories to ensure effective communication and successful marketing:
First, maintain a list of all your supporters and well-wishers. Surround yourself with people you trust. These people will always keep you grounded, give you good advice, and provide you with a refuge from the stress of the business world. This isn’t the same thing as surrounding yourself with yes-men. Rather, they should be people who have your best interest at heart, not because you are paying them, but because they genuinely care for you and want to help you, both personally and professionally.
Second, create a list of all your potential clients and customers. For example, you may start with 100 prospective names, but don’t stop there. Set a goal of how many customers you want to have 5 years down the road. Work on it weekly, if not daily. Get some people who can provide you referrals. And when they do, be sure to follow up on the people they recommended to you. One of the highest forms of marketing leverage is to have some well-respected personalities or celebrities to endorse your product or service.
Lastly, build a profile of all your contacts and deal with each one according to his or her personality type. Detail-oriented individuals may not mind to serve in the background, but their need for affirmation or a sense of security should never be taken for granted. Interacting socializers are driven to please others so they do things with a desire to belong, while those with domineering personality traits want to do things that boost their ego. Others who are more cautious and analytical in their behavioral tendencies will usually take time to decide or jump in. By understanding these different behavioral styles and various motivations of those in your network, you can more appropriately adjust your approach with each one. This is very important if you want your contacts to be more receptive to you. Or even as customers, people will be more apt to do business with you when they perceive that you view things as they do and that you really care for them. To be successful or rich is to be a student of what motivates people---learning to discern the wants behind the behaviors of the masses.
Remember this saying from a top sales person and motivational speaker, Zig Ziglar: “You can have everything you want if you help enough people get what they want.”
