Advice/Tips
CHICAGO – Just like in business, you need to keep evolving your techniques so you can continue your success. In order to be effective at relationship building, it is important for you to constantly experiment to find out what works best for you and the people within your network.
Make an effort in 2007 to try new techniques. Below are several techniques to try. You may surprise yourself about which ones work well for you.
Find New Ways to Build Relationships Through Technology
Connecting with individuals is a moving target with relationship building.
As many opportunities exist to meet new people, don’t get complacent with the same techniques. After you connect with people, maintaining those relationships is also a very important task. Without proper maintenance, you will not have an effective network.
Equally important is personal branding.
Without doing so, you will get lost in the crowd and people may not remember you. With technology, it has become easier to brand yourself. This makes relationship building easier. Some great tools include Web sites, e-mail newsletters and blogs.
If you are not utilizing any of the above tools, make 2007 the year you implement at least one of these tools. You will be amazed at how effective these techniques are to connect with individuals.
To get help building a Web site, check out Chicago Web development firm Tecture. To start an e-mail newsletter, check out Constant Contact. To start a blog, check out TypePad.
While there are many options to get you started, these are some of the easiest and best solutions. Do your homework and check out multiple solutions. For example, I have a new blog called “Networking Insight” where I share an additional perspective about networking.
Give More, Take Less
With networking, you will find that many people are mostly in it for themselves.
These are the people who constantly ask what you can do for them. They give networking a bad name. If you fall into this category, it is time to change your habits. In fact, all of us can probably give more and take less from others.
When you meet people, spend more time getting to know them and find out how you can truly help them.
Relationship building takes time. Help others before you ask for anything. Make 2007 the year that you give more than you receive. Over time, you will come to realize that you will have built more relationships. This will result in more business.
Attend New Events
As you know, part of the relationship-building process is getting to know new people. A great way to meet new people is to get introductions from existing contacts. Another way is to continue attending networking events.
If you attend networking events on a regular basis, don’t stop.
Make it a goal to try new events. Get out of your comfort zone and attend events that are not in your industry or on your regular circuit. After all, your main goal should be to meet people and that really can be accomplished in any environment.
Also, you will probably meet some people you would not have met elsewhere by attending new events. Give yourself the chance. You never know who you will meet.
If you have never attended an MIT Enterprise Forum of Chicago event, I encourage you to attend one of the group’s meetings.
Take an Active Role With an Organization
One of the best ways to build relationships is to take an active role with a business or non-profit organization.
Rather than just attending an event, seek out the board and ask how you can help. Most organizations will appreciate the gesture and take you up on the offer. Since most of these groups are run by volunteers, they can always use the help.
By taking an active role, you will work side by side with the other volunteers and get to know them very well. Your relationship will be built less around business and more around getting to know each other on a personal level.
After you to get to know people on a personal level, doing business together will be less of a hurdle. Building trust and credibility is a must before any business relationship can develop.
If you are already involved in an organization, that is excellent. In 2007, take it upon yourself to get involved in one more organization or to take a different role in your current organization. The goal here is to mix it up and get to know people with common goals.
If you aren’t involved in any organizations and are concerned about the time commitment, start by getting involved with a committee. You never have to take an active leadership role to gain the benefits of getting to know other people.
Final Thought
With the new year upon us, make an effort to take your relationship building to the next level. Set some goals you want to accomplish. Try some new networking techniques to help you reach those goals.
Jason Jacobsohn is a business advisor with the Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center (CEC). He also operates a business and networking resources Web site at Jacobsohn.com and publishes the blog “Networking Insight”. Jacobsohn can be e-mailed at jason@jacobsohn.com. This article first appeared on MidwestBusiness.com and is being republished with permission.
