Value-Added Network
By Russ Kovar
A value-added network can be achieved through explicit actions to
develop, expand, and promote trusted relationships. One
successful example is Thomas Powers, the founder and chairman of
ecademy, one of the largest UK-based business networks. His
passion and commitment to networking compares to none; he is ranked
among the top business networkers in the world. Ecademy’s
philosophy is “Winning by Sharing”, a theme of paramount
importance. Donna Fisher and Sandy Vilas, of Power Networking,
define networking as: “Networking is
making links from people we know to people they know, in an organized
way, for a specific purpose, while remaining committed to doing our
part, expecting nothing in return.”
So how can you add value to your network?
Strategy
Over the years my primary networking focus has been establishing
contacts that provide valuable job search-related opportunities.
More recently, I have expanded my focus to include promoting services
and exploring business opportunities. My networking strategies
are simple – contact people and offer a mutually beneficial
relationship through shared business contacts, opportunities, and
potential partnerships. By connecting people with potential for
shared mutual benefits, I am delivering an important service and
developing trusted relationships. This is extremely rewarding for
me and seems to be greatly appreciated by those I have connected.
Developing a strategy will help you focus on developing your network
effectively. Don’t be afraid to change your approach frequently
until it feels right and you are certain that it will serve your goals
and objectives. The key driver is ongoing communications
regarding mutual goals, interests, and opportunities, as well as
expansion of your network.
Using established networking groups and on-line communities allows you
to become linked to people all over the world. Nina Camp, an
expert on the subject says, “Linkedin is the best business networking
site – not social --which is attractive to Fortune 1000/500/100
business executives. Recent additions to the site make
interfacing more attractive. The ability to send a message from the
site when accepting connections is a good new feature, along with the V
Card download and the opportunity to endorse immediately.”
Linkedin,www.linkedin.com,
is also my choice, and the on-line business community I use most
frequently. To grow your network, initially you may need to be
proactive in contacting people who you would like to connect with, but
as your contact list grows, people will seek you out and want to become
part of your network.
Building Network Contacts
While building your network, you will find that no matter how hard you
work to establish relationships, a simple fact of human nature dictates
that you will naturally hit it off with certain people, finding common
goals, interests, and reasons to connect. This is not to
say that you should give up on individuals less inclined to form a
trusted relationship, but the amount of time you dedicate to such
communications will define the potential for a successful
connection. Finding mutual values, interests, and levels of
comfort takes time and work. Making an effort to find such common
grounds requires two-way communication, without which you will have a
void of knowledge and information-sharing necessary for the growth of
the relationship. Timing is also an issue and one which you need
to keep in mind when you reach out to a contact, especially to someone
who may not be as aggressive or interested in expanding or exploring
networking benefits. Give potential contacts plenty of room to
communicate using their own timetable.
Building and expanding your network requires a plan or set of processes
that you can follow repeatedly. The following are some practices
you might want to include are.
1) Communicate with your most trusted contacts frequently and share
information, ideas, or just an update on your current status. Show
interest in their activities, job, company, and common interests.
Send an interesting article or information you feel that would be of
value.
2) Share new contacts with others who you feel may realize mutual benefits.
Provide referrals to others for business services, opportunities, and information, or
as a common connector. It might be as straightforward as saying, “I met Joe
Smith’s boss and he said he knew you.”
3) Keep your eyes and ears open for opportunities to expand your
network. If you are just starting out, set a goal for
establishing X new contacts a week. When I first joined
ecademy.com, I set a goal of adding 50 new contacts a week, which
resulted in developing 1151 contacts in a year’s time.
4) Be open to new contacts that may want to communicate with you.
Connected people like to connect with other connected people. I
have never refused a new contact. You will learn that as you
continue to grow your network, others will find you and want to become
part of your group of associates.
5) The last step in your process is the most important one. Give to your network contacts, expecting nothing in return.
The act of giving will earn trust and understanding and demonstrate
that you have a genuine interest in your associates. “Winning by
sharing.” It works, so give it a try.
Those Who Did
As most successful business people will tell you, failures are an
important part of your personal and business development process.
Don’t discard failures, instead learn from them and use your new
knowledge to address future challenges and goals. Laurence J.
Peter said, “There are two kinds of failures: those who thought and never did, and those who did and never thought.”
If you don’t make an attempt, you will never realize the potential of
what you might have been able to achieve. Building network
relationships is not a task with a beginning, middle, and end; it is an
ongoing process. Network and you will build a valued and trusted
contact community.
About the Author
Russ Kovar is a Senior Information Technology Manager from the Chicago
area. He has published several other articles about networking
and is actively involved in delivering technology and business
solutions, as well as building his own network. Russ is also the
Moderator for Chicagoland Ecademy Regional Club, an organization of
us.ecademy. Russ can be contacted at rkovar1@msn.com. His profile
can be viewed on www.linkedin.com.
