4 Proven Tips For Getting The Most Out Of Your Network
View Original Article by Forbes HERE
A broad professional network can be a powerful asset at any point in your career. Even after personal and professional networks shrank by roughly 16% during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to research published by the American Sociological Association in 2021. the value of a strong network remains paramount in every industry.
After all, most jobs are filled through networking, with many positions never getting posted to online jobs boards in the first place as a result. Of course, to receive these and other professional opportunities, you need to implement practices that will help you make the most of your network, no matter industry you work in.
1. Keep In Touch
It sounds simple, but keeping in touch is one of the most important ways to actually make the most of your network. Social media may have been designed to help us connect, but in reality, many professionals use their LinkedIn to “collect” individuals as part of their network without ever actually developing deeper relationships. In fact, the social media tooling company Poked estimated that the average LinkedIn user speaks with less than 10% of their network.
If you don’t communicate with someone, you can’t build a meaningful relationship that delivers mutual value. Worse still, when you do reach out with a request, it comes across as disingenuous. Like the only reason you added someone to your professional network was so you could make a sales pitch or ask for help.
2. Leverage Your Existing Network’s Connections
Your existing network may not always have the skills or knowledge you need to solve a particular problem. But when you’ve put in the work to build meaningful relationships with them, they’ll be much more likely to share their existing connections who can help you. The existing baseline of trust and respect that you have with your current connections will then make your new contacts much more likely to be willing to work with you.
Such mutual connections are often cited as an excellent resource for finding new customers, and for good reason. After all, referred customers are cited as being more loyal, having a higher retention rate and spending more than the average customer.
Leveraging your existing connections can be equally powerful when you get referrals for situations when seeking a strategic partner for a project, when looking for a mentor or simply receiving additional feedback about one of your ideas.
3. Consider Ways You Can Help Others
Another way to ensure you get lasting value from your own professional network is to look for ways to help others. As Eric Allen, co-founder and CEO of NÉLO Life, a lifestyle membership program, explained to me during a recent conversation: “You should always look for ways you can provide value to others in your network. Pay attention to their needs and pain points, and consider what you can do to help — especially if their concern lies within your area of expertise.”
“Whether you share a referral, offer your services or simply share a few of your thoughts, providing real value in a way that isn’t self-promotional will make you a key figure in others’ networks,” he said.
As Allen noted, finding ways to help others in your network can be simple. If someone asks a question on LinkedIn, share your perspective. If you see someone looking for a job and you know of an opportunity that would be a good match for their skills, let them know about it.
It may take a little extra time to look for these opportunities and engage in some selfless behavior, but it will pay off in the long run as you build deeper and more authentic relationships. Those you have helped will be far more likely to pay it forward when you’re the one needing assistance.
4. Improve Your Own Professional Skills
Finally, if you hope to make the most of your network, you need to improve your own professional skills. Your ability to evolve as a professional makes you a more powerful business partner and a stronger asset to others within your network.
Look for opportunities for growth in all areas that affect your professional career. This could entail increasing your knowledge on an industry topic, completing a skill certification course or working to improve your interpersonal abilities.
As you go through these opportunities for self-improvement, you’ll meet more people who can become a part of your network. Even more importantly, you’ll enhance your capability for creating mutual value with others in your network.
Don’t be afraid to share how you are learning and improving. Highlighting how you are improving could inspire others within your network to reach out to you with new opportunities.
Creating Opportunities
At the end of the day, making the most of your professional network comes down to creating opportunities for yourself. By proactively engaging with your network, seeking to help or add value for them and consistently striving to improve your own skills, you will naturally receive more opportunities through networking. More importantly, you’ll be equipped to take advantage of those opportunities and create mutual value for yourself and your connections.
