If you have ever built a successful friendship, you can build a powerful professional network.
When you first met a friend there’s a good chance that you met at a central location, had a great conversation, and decide to meet up again. If everything went well you continued to hang out.
One of the biggest mistakes people make when trying to build a professional network is they ask for something right after they meet someone.
Would you ever ask any of the following questions below when trying to build a friendship?
I know you are saying to yourself right now, “How ridiculous! I would never attempt to build a friendship like that.” If that were the case, why would you try to build your professional network that way?
Building your professional network is similar to the way you build a friendship (click to tweet)
The end goal of each is the same. You are building a group of people who care about you and whom you can trust and count on when you’re in a tight spot.
This is how you would build a friendship with someone you just met:
After doing these things over and over again, your relationship would get stronger over time.
Sharing valuable advice is one of the best ways to keep in contact with people in your professional network. I love to send great articles or helpful advice that my contacts will find valuable.
I sent the email below to the CEO of a public relations agency (where I used to work) that focuses on marketing to women.
“Good Morning Jill,
I thought you would find the below article really interesting. It talks about brands that are marketing to women without using the typical stereotypes. The Courage to Advertise Without Female Stereotypes Marketing to Women: http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/courage-advertise-without-female-stereotypes-147484?page=1
Have a great week!
John”
Her response: “Thanks for sending John. It’s great to hear from you. Please keep in touch.”
Why does a simple email like this build our relationship?
Think about how you feel when someone takes time out of their day to share something with you that they know you will love. It makes you feel special. Successful networkers are experts in making people feel special.
Staying in touch with your professional network is crucial to your career success (click to tweet) There is a good chance that you wouldn’t neglect your friends for six months, so don’t neglect your personal network either!
I want to hear your success stories! Please email me your results or leave a comment below. John(at)EndlessJobOffers(.) com.
About the Author: John Muscarello is the founder of EndlessJobOffers.com a website that teaches professionals 25 and up how to build relationships with top performers, get jobs, and take their career to the next level. Download his free guide “Four Free Tools You Can Use To Connect With Top Performers.”
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