Another year has flown by. Have you achieved all the goals you wanted to accomplish in 2014? Have you met all the people that you've wanted to connect with? Have you advanced your career to its full potential?
If you didn't answer yes to all of these questions, the answer is that you need to step up your networking.
"The opposite of networking is not working"
Make 2015 the Year of Giving
The fastest way to grow your network is to connect with powerful connectors. Most of these connectors tend to be high-status people, so how do you get in touch with them?
Give value.
Giving your time, knowledge, network, ideas, is the best way to connect with successful networkers. Which means the fastest way to grow your network and advance your career is to focus on giving.
As Keith Ferrazzi says, "you have to assume the person you're trying to reach does not want to meet you." This means that you have to offer something valuable enough for this person to let their guard down and spend time with you.
Think about this now. Rather than thinking about what you can gain from building a relationship with your network, start thinking about how you can improve the lives of your network.
Invest in Powerful Tools
You don't need to do this alone.
The beauty of the internet and technology has allowed networking easier for everyone, especially introverts. There has never been a better time to step up your networking game.
Here are a few powerful tools to tackle your networking challenges:
1. Linkedin.com
This is an obvious one, but are you using it to its full potential? A lot has happened for you this year, and you want to make sure your current and future connections are aware of your career progressions. Update your profile, ask for some recommendations, and use Linkedin's Search functions to identify more people you should be reaching out to in order to achieve your goals in 2015.
Have you ever wondered who your most significant connections are, and when they'll be visiting your city next? This is the problem that the free mobile app, nextSociety solves. Never miss a networking opportunity that could change your career moving forward.
3. Connectifier.com
Connectifier is powerful plug-in that allows you to see the contact informations of people on Linkedin and Twitter. You can use it to identify and get in touch with potential clients, influencers, or whoever you'd like to reach out to.
The Giving Challenge
This is a challenge for you to step up your networking in 2015.
Share this with your connections, and keep each other accountable during the challenge.
Follow these simple 5 steps and I guarantee your network will drastically improve.
1. Write down your goals for the year professionally or personally.
What are you looking to achieve this year? Before you start networking or reaching out to anyone, you need to make sure it aligns with your goals.
If you want to transition into a new industry, then your focus should be influencers in the indust you're entering. If you want to write a book this year, then you should focus on meeting New York Times best-selling authors.
2. Create a spreadsheet
Create a spreadsheet with all the names of the people that you want to connect with. Don't be afraid to get ambitious with your goals.
3. Fill out how you can help them
Once you have your list of people, create a column next to it, and write down how you can provide value to these people. Get creative with this because there's hundreds of different ways you can provide value, and the more you stand out the better.
4. Write down 10 ideas a day
Ideas are a dime-a-dozen to you, but it can be a game-changer to the right person. Most of us do not have the powerful network that we can magically introduce someone to, so the next best thing is providing insightful ideas.
Sharing your ideas also shows that you've put some thought into building a relationship with the individual, and they'll notice your effort and generousity soon enough.
This is what a majority of networkers forget to do. Following up is crucial to fostering the relationship you've worked hard to build. The people you're trying to get in touch with have busy careers and lives. Without making the effort to stay in their radar, your relationship will slowly start to fade away.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on the challenge and how it went for you.
Share below on what you're doing to step up your networking in 2015!