The Power of Relationship Building
The Power of Relationship Building
Key principles relative to effective networking:
1.Building relationships is crucial – there are many smart, talented people who go no where in their career because they don’t have visibility to the “right” people. Use every opportunity to build relationships with a diverse group of people at different levels in the organization. When you meet people, one introduction isn’t enough – maintain contact with them – that’s how relationships are formed – over time – not just by one meeting.
2.Six degrees of separation works – the people you know, know people, who know people. Everyone you encounter has someone in their network with the potential to help you. The best relationships are formed by way of “introductions” or “referrals.” Everyone you meet has someone in their network who may be a potential client, supplier, employee, or employer of yours sometime in the future.
3.It’s not just about what someone else can do for you – what you can do for someone else is equally important. Great relationships are built on give and take. Make sure you can articulate how you can help the person you want help from. When I meet people, I always ask, what can I do to help you? And if I make a commitment to do something…I keep it. Don’t make the mistake of not following up on an action you promised to do.
4.Be Authentic and Sincere – but be yourself. Learn to leverage your strengths. Make sure you know your strengths and weaknesses and are honest about them. When you try to fabricate skills you really don’t have, you lose credibility real fast. Be comfortable with who you are, who you aren’t, and who you may never be.
5.Seek out or volunteer to work on or lead “special projects” or “extra- curricular” work activities. This is often a great way to get visibility to key people in the organization that you may not have normal access to.
6.Always be prepared with a 30 second “elevator speech” – who you are, what your skills are and where you want to go. You never know who you may bump into in the restroom, elevator, hallway or other opportunities for a quick intro with a captive audience.
7.Remember, sometimes we don’t get what we want because we don’t take the time to ask for it. Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want. Even if you don’t get it, what have you really lost? But think about what you may lose if the answer would have been yes, but you didn’t take the time to ask!
8.People are busy - with more to do than hours in the day. So respect people’s time. Learn to keep your written and verbal communications net and to the point. If someone asks you what time it is, you don’t have to tell them how to build a clock!
9.Have multiple networks, supporters or mentors – formal, informal, sounding board, career advice, personal advice, coaching etc. Throughout my career and even now as a business owner, I have several networks and mentors that I use for different reasons or situations. Everybody needs at least one person that they can really talk to – no politics, no façade, but really be real with. Make sure you know who that person is for you.
10.Keep your resume current – if you haven’t updated your resume in the past 6 months, update it now!
Effectively network so that you make the best use of your time and the time of others. When you go to a networking event, know what you want to accomplish by attending. State what you want, plan how you’re going to go about getting it, and then act - work your plan. We don’t get what we want when we fail to take action. Write your goals down. The first step to making anything happen is to write it down. Goals in your head are like dreams or fantasies.
The Power of Relationship Building - To learn more about this author, visit Lisa Whaley's Website.
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Many people believe if they work hard, produce results and maintain a good track record, they will advance. While these are certainly pre-requisites to advancing, once you learned to effectively network, great things will happen.
Key principles relative to effective networking:
1.Building relationships is crucial – there are many smart, talented people who go no where in their career because they don’t have visibility to the “right” people. Use every opportunity to build relationships with a diverse group of people at different levels in the organization. When you meet people, one introduction isn’t enough – maintain contact with them – that’s how relationships are formed – over time – not just by one meeting.
2.Six degrees of separation works – the people you know, know people, who know people. Everyone you encounter has someone in their network with the potential to help you. The best relationships are formed by way of “introductions” or “referrals.” Everyone you meet has someone in their network who may be a potential client, supplier, employee, or employer of yours sometime in the future.
3.It’s not just about what someone else can do for you – what you can do for someone else is equally important. Great relationships are built on give and take. Make sure you can articulate how you can help the person you want help from. When I meet people, I always ask, what can I do to help you? And if I make a commitment to do something…I keep it. Don’t make the mistake of not following up on an action you promised to do.
4.Be Authentic and Sincere – but be yourself. Learn to leverage your strengths. Make sure you know your strengths and weaknesses and are honest about them. When you try to fabricate skills you really don’t have, you lose credibility real fast. Be comfortable with who you are, who you aren’t, and who you may never be.
5.Seek out or volunteer to work on or lead “special projects” or “extra- curricular” work activities. This is often a great way to get visibility to key people in the organization that you may not have normal access to.
6.Always be prepared with a 30 second “elevator speech” – who you are, what your skills are and where you want to go. You never know who you may bump into in the restroom, elevator, hallway or other opportunities for a quick intro with a captive audience.
7.Remember, sometimes we don’t get what we want because we don’t take the time to ask for it. Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want. Even if you don’t get it, what have you really lost? But think about what you may lose if the answer would have been yes, but you didn’t take the time to ask!
8.People are busy - with more to do than hours in the day. So respect people’s time. Learn to keep your written and verbal communications net and to the point. If someone asks you what time it is, you don’t have to tell them how to build a clock!
9.Have multiple networks, supporters or mentors – formal, informal, sounding board, career advice, personal advice, coaching etc. Throughout my career and even now as a business owner, I have several networks and mentors that I use for different reasons or situations. Everybody needs at least one person that they can really talk to – no politics, no façade, but really be real with. Make sure you know who that person is for you.
10.Keep your resume current – if you haven’t updated your resume in the past 6 months, update it now!
Effectively network so that you make the best use of your time and the time of others. When you go to a networking event, know what you want to accomplish by attending. State what you want, plan how you’re going to go about getting it, and then act - work your plan. We don’t get what we want when we fail to take action. Write your goals down. The first step to making anything happen is to write it down. Goals in your head are like dreams or fantasies.
The Power of Relationship Building - To learn more about this author, visit Lisa Whaley's Website.
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John PowerJohn Power, founder of Biltmore Franchise Consulting, has extensive experience developing and marketing franchises and business opportunities. He has been in and around franchising for over twenty years. From 1980 through 1990 he conceptualized, organized, and developed the American Video Association. He grew AVA to 2,000 national members, before selling the company it 1990. It was later merged into another home video marketing company. From 2000 to 2005 he worked as a contract marketing and human resources consultant to several local and national companies. In 2005 Mr. Power began working as a franchise development consultant on a full-time basis. Since that time he has helped more than three dozen companies initiate and develop their franchising program. He notes that there are many companies interested in developing a franchise program, and who need his specialized assistance. Mr. Power is a “hands-on” franchise consultant. He said, “I am the ‘nuts and bolts’ person who tends to the details for my clients.” Mr. Power holds a B.S. degree with a major in Marketing. See: www.biltmorefranchise.com You may contact Mr. Power at: jpower@biltmorefranchise.co - Visit John Power's Website |
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Kim CastleWith nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website |
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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