Growing Your Network

I have heard that there is a type of bamboo that you plant, water, fertilize, nurture, and for three years see nothing, not a shoot, not a leave, NOTHING. After three years a tiny sprout appears and the bamboo starts to grow, really grow 4 to 6 feet a day until it is ready to harvest.

It must take a huge leap of faith to put that much time, effort, and attention into something without seeing any sign of what is to come. I like this story because it reminds me a lot of forming a successful network; the nice part is that to build a business network foundation shouldn’t take three years. It is a process that can grow as fast as or faster than the bamboo. The seed takes root and sprouts immediately upon your acknowledgment that having the right network is the only way to be successful.

We already have a foundation of a network with the people have in our everyday world. Family, friends, co-workers, alumni, make the base of our network. We utilize that base to reach out to their connections. We need to ASK to GET. Our friends and family members are not psychic. If we don’t let them know the type of people we are looking to meet, they won’t automatically make the introductions. In fact most of us never think of letting those closest to us know that we are trying to expand our network. When you consider the fact that each of us know 250 to 500 people well, the number of people those closet to us could add to our network is phenomenal.

Networking is both an art and a science. Some people are more naturally attuned to opportunities than others. Even the painfully shy can learn how to expand their networks when they realize that the possibilities are everywhere and that people are waiting to get to know them. It does take a plan to expedite the process.

What a concept, a plan to network! It needs to be programmed into your workday. If the concept seems alien, put it into prospective. If it was a requirement of your position that you network for a set amount of time each day, you would do it. Well, guess what, it is a requirement, whether you work for yourself or someone else. You might survive if you avoid becoming an exceptional networker, but that is all you will do is survive. Being an actively engaged business networker is the only road to success. You cannot make it with any level of true accomplishment without engaging others.

The first thing is to decide who it is that you need in your network. You want to have a balance between people who have the resources you need and resources for you to have to help your clients and your contacts. It is easier than it sounds. Depending on your field there are some people/professions that are more naturally connected to the type of people you need to know. When you have determined who these people are you need to find where they, meet, socialize, play etc. Build time in your calendar every day to work on adding to your network. Some days it will be researching, others will be attending events, and then there is the follow-up.

Follow-up consists of “face time.” Some try to shortcut the process by building relationships online or on the phone. While both of these play a part in the process, it is spending time getting to know people in person that is what turns a casual contact into a real relationship. Think of it like a dating service – you might e-mail and call, but it doesn’t become the real thing until you actually meet. Once you have spent some time in the courtship phase, you will know if it something that is mutually beneficial or one-sided. For someone to truly be part of your network it needs to be mutually beneficial. It is when you have a number of these strong two way relationships you will be able to see the rapid growth of your resources , you become to go to person, and success is assured.