5 Note Worthy

If you make a habit of detailing information, it will pay off in spades. By this I mean keeping notes of meetings, exchanges, telephone conversations, etc. Within a few months you’ll most likely be able to offer something relevant to their needs.

No matter how tenuous the link, your contacts will register the fact that you remembered them. Irrespective of whether the moment has passed and they no longer need that contact or service, it will emphasise to them that you really were listening.

6 Be Distinctive

It’s not hugely important what you do to make yourself stand apart from the pack as long as you do it. Grandiose plans for luxurious and expensive corporate entertaining packages to leading social events are not necessary and neither are they what I am talking about.

What works best is something that is affordable, attainable and relatively easy to offer. If you have access to information which could be advantageous to your contacts, offer it to them. You may have some sporting interests in common, or facilities which they could use, in which case invite them to participate.

I try to invite my contacts to events which I think would interest them, or bring them into contact with new people who they might not otherwise meet. Often it encourages them to be more adventurous and experience pastures new. If they enjoy the experience, and meet rewarding and stimulating company, they will be happy to do something for you in return.

Whatever method you employ, to be distinguishable in business is a great form of advertising. It speaks volumes not only for you personally, but also your company.

Proactivity

By being proactive in engaging with your contacts, you will be setting yourself and your company apart from its competitors. Remembering people’s names and personal details may seem unimportant, but even the smallest nugget of information can keep you in the forefront of a contact’s mind.

Establishing yourself as an ‘identity’ means that your contacts will remember you ahead of other people they have in their data base. Be outstanding, and they’ll go out of their way to help you and your business.

To recap:

• Networking is the essential first stage. It is the frame or skeleton.

 

• Making connections is the second step, putting flesh on to the bone and developing the frame.

 

• The third and final stage, building relationships, is where you breathe life into the process. That is when the muscles on the frame are made to work.