Everyone working professionally is aware of 1 important saying, irrespective of the industry they work in: It is not what you know, it is who you know. Certainly, your skills, hard work, experience, and sincerity matter but the underlying truth in this statement cannot be denied. Cultivating strong relationships with people across your industry can help you to build a network of connections which can be leveraged when needed. Let’s take an example of people who change their jobs frequently – they are equipped to tap the connections they have made over the course of their career.
Also, it would be a mistake to look at building a network as a strategy just for building one’s career. There are many successful businessmen who network professionally too – it is essential to growing a business also. Businessmen can benefit by networking effectively in the new normal. If they focus on building that network, there will be opportunities when it can be leveraged to benefit the business.
A crucial point is that, even if you have a vast professional network with whom you have maintained regular contact, it is of no use if you never leverage those contacts. You must know how to use your contacts to help with your business.
Table of Contents
Let us look at ways you can leverage your network to your company’s advantage:
Renew Old Relationships
Start with tapping old connections from the past. Reach out to them and get back in touch. This is a great way to expand your network. Perhaps there may be alumni from your alma mater who are in the same field as you: connecting to them can be very beneficial. If not now, in the future they would be in decision-making positions at their workplaces, making them valuable connections worth revisiting. Rest assured that people with an earlier connection to you will be more inclined to revive their relationship with you, more so if you are both in the same industry – there’s a chance that you could help each other in the near future.
Reinforce Existing Relationships
Possibly there is already a set of ongoing relationships you have – these need to be nurtured so that they evolve into stronger relationships. Existing relationships need to be maintained so that you can continue to strengthen them. Reinforcing an existing contact resembles nurturing a lead. It does not matter if the relationship is with a current client – just call them to wish happy Birthday! It shows that you care about the relationship – there is no ulterior motive involved. Gestures like these strengthen the relationship. As your relations grow stronger, the relationships become more valuable and you can rely on the connections for help or a favour. As a testament to this, a compliance business like LegalWiz.in is providing Instamojo special discount on its partners’ platform. It shows how both businesses can benefit from such corporate synergies.
Remember that it goes both ways – you will also need to help and do favours once in a while – this keeps the relationship strong and dependable. Reinforcing existing relationships yields dividends in the future and strengthening them benefits your network.
Build New Relationships
Networking professionally can be of great help in building relationships in various ways. You could nurture new connections to further those relationships into meaningful relationships. It is a proven fact that the more you develop new relationships, the more opportunities will result from it. Following your initial meeting, it is entirely possible that the person may connect you to someone who could help you or your company. This occurs only if you have worked to develop that relationship. Hence, investing time and resources in building relationships is a core component of networking.
Display your Expertise
The equation is simple – professional networking is a 2-way street. If you can help someone with your 3expertise, do it. It can help y9our connections overcome their challenges and helps strengthen your network. These persons will be more than willing to help you out in the future and will possibly also be advocates of your expertise. Showcasing your expertise will help build a reputation of being dependable and can result in strengthening your current network. Moreover, chances are that other professionals outside your network could reach out to you, further building your network.
