The #1 Thing to Do When Networking


Did you know that a benefit of having strong networks is that you form a personal support system?

When you develop solid relationships, you can easily reach out to your connections for assistance. Making a career move? I’ll bet you can instantly name someone to call for advice. Starting a new business? You probably know a few people who will immediately jump on board.

But to build these associations you must accomplish something first. It’s really the #1 thing to do when networking. What is it?

You must establish your relationship-building goals.

This puts you in a better position to fully focus on them. Just like anything, really. And if you take networking seriously enough and put in the time and effort, then you will reap many rewards. After all… it is called netWORKing!

When you identify your networking goals and work toward reaching them you improve your spheres of influence and strengthen your connections. No construction ever starts until a blueprint is drawn up. It’s the same for creating the foundation for robust networks!

Having a plan helps track your progress. And here are a few things to keep in mind when setting your actual relationship-building goals:

Be specific

We all say things like, “Wow, I haven’t spoken to Louie in a while, I should give him a call.” You think about him for a bit, then move on to something else. What usually happens? If you’re like most people, Louie goes to the back of your mind, where he unfortunately remains. And you miss out on the potential to reconnect with him and any opportunities that could’ve come from it. The key is to indicate a precise action. “I should give him a call” is pretty general but saying “I’ll call him tomorrow on my afternoon walk” is much better. And then hold yourself accountable for doing it!

Be realistic

Don’t make promises (including to yourself) that you can’t keep. Establishing unattainable goals is setting yourself up for failure before you even begin. If you want to reach out to a certain amount of people on LinkedIn, don’t choose an outrageous number to strive for. Are you interested in meeting individuals through volunteering? Don’t sign up for more charity work than your calendar can handle.

“People who regularly write down their goals earn nine times more over the course of their lifetime than people who don’t.”

David Kohl

Write it down

Make a list and notes of what you want to accomplish. Keep track of your goals and change them when you need to. Remember how you said you’d call Louie tomorrow afternoon? Put a specific time in your calendar and set a reminder to do it! As David Kohl, professor emeritus at Virginia Tech found through his research: “People who regularly write down their goals earn nine times more over the course of their lifetime than people who don’t.”

Nine times! That says a lot.

This shows how taking time to evaluate and write down your networking goals is a small task that can lead to really big things. But you need to go beyond simply saying you want to build relationships and be more definitive. Here are some goals to add to your list:

Perform the 30 Day Gratitude Challenge and pick a specific date to begin – you can read more about it in this article.

Get educated on building the right relationships – enroll in our certification program and immerse yourself in the science and art of cultivating world-class connections and become a NetWorkWise Certified Professional (NWW-CP).

Partner with a mentor – identify someone from your networks and then implement the proper way to invite them.

These are great relationship-building goals to have! It’s also a good idea to set yourself a deadline or timeframe. This gets you in the right mindset and helps you focus. It also puts you in a position to hold yourself accountable for accomplishing your tasks. For example, here’s how you can break your list down further:

EACH QUARTER

  • Attend a networking event that coincides with your interests and objectives – it can be a formal gathering, happy hour with colleagues, or conference with an influential speaker.
  • Read a book focused on relationship-building – I suggest Friend of a Friend by David Burkus or Atomic Habits by James Clear.
  • Volunteer your time – You will mingle with like-minded individuals when you choose a local charity or community-driven gathering that aligns with your values.

EACH MONTH

EACH WEEK

  • Make five new connections – utilize LinkedIn, make a point to meet your new neighbor, or get to know your coffee barista better (they’re most likely a super-connector!)
  • Reach out to two dormant ties – reconnect and reestablish relationships with people you haven’t communicated with in a long time.

EACH DAY

  • Nurture current relationships – send a text or email message to one person just to say hello or share a podcast or article they may find interesting.
  • Write in a journal – reflect on your daily interactions and the connections you made with different people.

Of course, your relationship-building goals will be more specific to your own needs. Looking for a new job? Then a weekly task can be to connect with a certain number of people who work in your desired industry or recruit for the role you’re applying for. And you must make changes as needed! When you land the job, you can adjust your goals to building rapport with new colleagues and potential vendors.

What’s important is that you make reaching your objectives a habit. Choose a certain time every day or each week to focus only on relationship-building and track your progress. It will be more effective when it becomes part of your routine.

Getting your goals in order will help you build and maintain strong networks. And these connections will form that personal support system we all need to succeed.

So, what relationship-building goals are you working on today?

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