It is common knowledge that who you know is just as, or in some cases, important as what you know when it comes to building your professional career.
The reason for this is not rocket science. When you are looking for someone to help you with something, you start with the people you know. So, the more people you know, the more opportunities are likely to start coming your way.
Moreover, human beings tend to trust the familiar. So, people are more inclined to work with you, hire you, or help you, if they already know you. And if someone you trust recommends you to someone they trust, you are already very far ahead in the game.
Ways to Nurture Professional Relationships
But how exactly do you network effectively? Read on for our top four networking tips for nurturing your professional relationships.
1. Remember First Impressions
You only get one chance to make a first impression. And unless you see someone regularly, like a colleague, you aren’t going to have a lot of opportunities to change someone’s mind once it is made up. So, work on your first impression.
If you are going to a networking event, or you know you are going to meet someone who is important to you, prepare yourself.
This does start with the way you look, since this forms a big part of a first impression. Naturally you will want to dress as the person you really are, but you also want to look professional and like you care about how you represent yourself.
What you talk about will also be important. Be prepared to be able to share what you do in a way that is brief and engaging. People will probably be less interested in the nitty gritty of your profession than in why what you do is important and why it inspires you.
You might also want to prepare to ask insightful questions. Many industry leaders get asked the same questions over and over, and they are questions that they have already answered on multiple occasions in print. If you are targeting someone specifically, know what they have already said, and go beyond that with your questions.
2. Network with your Peers
Often when we talk about networking, people are focused on getting the attention of senior managers or other influencers who they feel can change their careers. But this is some of the hardest networking to do when building professional relationships. These people tend to be busy and have a lot of people approaching them. Why should they make time for you?
While no one is saying that you should give up on building a relationship with someone you consider a role model, don’t underestimate the importance of networking with your peers.
Peer networking tends to be easier, as they are more accessible, and you will probably have more things in common. Also, the right peers can help you build your knowledge and be the key to a variety of opportunities.
SEE ALSO: How Collaboration Can Help Your Business or Career Success
3. Maintain your professional relationships and connections
Perhaps you made a great connection with someone at an event a year ago, but you haven’t spoken to them since. Now you want to contact them. Do you think they will remember you? Perhaps, but you don’t know how many other great connections they have made since then.
Once you have made a connection that you think is important, you need to work to maintain it.
If you get someone’s contact details, it is a good idea to make contact within a few days. Ideally you will have some pertinent information to share. Perhaps you can send a link to an article you mentioned, or make an introduction to someone else that they were interested in.
It is then a matter of maintaining contact, without doing too much. We are all busy people. It can be a good idea to follow them on professional social media networks, such as LinkedIn, and comment on their content. When they see your comments, it will bring you back to the front of your mind.
Of course, you can ask for advice or favors, but this should be done in moderation. You don’t want to become “that girl/guy I met one time who is always asking me for something”. Sending over things that you think they would find useful or interesting is always a good idea.
In their neck of the woods for some reason? There is no better way to reconnect than with a quick 20-minute coffee.
SEE ALSO: The Power Of Networking: How To Make The Right Moves
4. Be Genuine
Few people are looking for artificial relationships, even in the workplace. Professional relationships need to be mutually beneficial, and also need to feel like they come from a real place. You want the other person to genuinely like you, and not like you are stalking them because you want something.
So, remember, you don’t need to talk shop all the time, you can also get personal. Share stories about your families, talk about your hobbies, or just have an innocent conversation about current events.
Of course, there are things that you shouldn’t share with professional contacts, and you should know where to draw your boundaries, but there is no harm in getting to know that other person on a personal level.
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