6 Simple Steps To Build A Strong Network In A Business
Networking is one of the most important factors/trait of a business agent. It is nothing but to build a good friendship. The inevitable fact here is that you are not the next John Chambers (Former President of Cisco) or Bill Gates (Co-Founder of Microsoft). If you interview them at this point of time, you will definitely figure out that their story of success started form nothing.
Networking these days is as handy as you think your mobile phone is (Excuse the Pun here)
To climb the ladder of success, you will need to start with baby steps. There are a couple of points that are listed below, that should be considered, to help you build your network for your Real Estate Business.
To Concentrate On The Right Individuals.
You don’t need to do everything by yourself in a business. You should get people involved in what you do so they can, with their expertise, help you to add value to your work. Make him feel that he is an asset for you. Experts say that generally initial networks are the Business Partners (Best Friends Generally)
But how do you think it’s possible to maintain this relationship for a long time?
As you know, finding the perfect network is not so easy. You will have to get yourself some homework done to find that person who will be helpful to you for the rest of your life. Our team has researched a little on this and noted some points that you should definitely consider.
Look Back At Your Past Or Present Co-Workers
When you think of choosing a business partner from your present or past teams, you will find that there are people who you could really connect with to get that “Accepted Personality” in the market and build a stronger network. The benefit of having a known person initially over a stranger is that you know they will not snooze off and not let you do so too.
Use Online Connections
One of the second ways to find the perfect individual for you is to go to your social media or online feed. You might find people who are on the lookout the way you are and you could connect well. This could create a huge impact on your development. The idea here is to start a conversation and see if that person can really add that extra spice to your business world. If you think he is matching all your business requirements in ANY way, don’t give it a second thought.
Vindicates VS Contradicts
Finding someone is not a tough job, but finding someone that will complement you is. The reason why the 1st and the 2nd point is necessary is because of this. You will not be able to gel with someone who is not engrossed in a particular project like you are. Making a fine choice of people who you want to work with is very very important. Go ahead and experience this with some people and you will understand the difference.
Make Sure He Is Trustworthy
If the individual is somebody you have as of late met and maybe share less history with, make sure to decide as quickly as time permits that they are dependable. However, in case you have any doubts about the reliability of your potential network, don’t overlook them, it might save you trouble in the long run.
Expect Nothing In Return
We have come across a couple of agents who help to gain something. You might not want to be such agents. The human tendency is always to expect something in return after a job is done. But at this point of time when you want to build a robust network, you will have to throw your Expectations down the drain.
People Who Share The Same Interest As Yours
“Birds of the same feather flock together.” Does this sound familiar? Isn’t it true? The more people are into the same interests as yours, the more interested you are to talk to them. It is generally seen that conversations start when 2 people have common topics to talk about. The Irony here is that people connect well not only when they have things/interests in common but also when they have different interests. This intent, of knowing the person well and making him feel you want to be a good friend, will result in a Strong Network.
Interact More
The best thing a human could do is to interact. We all like to socialize ourselves. There are multiple reasons for us to interact/communicate. We do it for support, Personal needs (Generally friends or family), Business needs (Generally Business partners or Clients)
Now we can also agree on one more thing that the more we interact the closer we get to that person. So looking at it with a business point of view, if you truly want to build good connections, interacting is needed. Physically interacting/communicating with live communities cannot be compared to anything else. The immediate question comes, “What if I’m working with an MNC?” The answer to this is simply to connect however possible but to KEEP IN TOUCH.
Possible Modes Of Interaction
- Call for a meeting
- Invite people over for dinner
- Use Technology and Social Media (Not at the cost of sacrificing physical communication)
- Just drop a Casual but Personalized “HI! Just wanted to know if you are doing good?” type of messages
Types Of Interactions
- Conversational Interaction — This is where two or more people participate in an exchange of information primarily for relationship building or discovery
- Transactional Interaction — When the requirement of the interaction is to change the status or relationship between those involved, it is a “Transactional interaction”.
- Collaborative Interactions — This is mostly what occurs during a project. Here we have a common group goal — for example the project milestones — and people work together to reach that goal.
Appreciate People
Incorporated this in your plan of action by trying to say thank you to the individuals who give you referrals so they realize that you value them. Regardless of whether that referral makes new business or not, the fact of the matter is that they were thought of. Further, they set aside the effort to make the introduction to yourself and the other party. Always try to acknowledge individuals who consider you for business or referrals by sending them a note, little gift voucher or a gift as a signal to appreciate them again for considering you and trusting in you.
If they referred to you a big client and the client rewarded you for that, you may be more than obliged to refer them too.
- Their mindset changes
- Your ability to innovate improves
- You start to build trust in relationships
- They will want to stay longer
- You improve their effectiveness
- You will inspire greatness in others
- You create a story with a memory
Remember: Small Gestures Are Just As Valuable
One of the best ways to get connected is to give a token as a gratitude to thank/appreciate someone. This can really build many relationships. It will cost you nothing to just say Thank You with a small Gift, Maybe a Birthday wish, a Festive Greeting, etc. This will definitely build up in them ‘THE WANT’ to hang around you.
