Networking is the Key to Star Performance in Everything You Do

Many people's idea of networking relates to the 'size of their Christmas Card List, rather than the quality of their relationship with each person on that list. Similarly those people network, but few reap the rewards of zeroing in on their potential. Here are some ideas to help fill the gap between where you are now and where you can be.

1 Be Generous - Give without expectations and you will be surprised at how it returns to you. It may not come from the same source but a new client, referral, or opportunity will show up because of your efforts.

2 Be Consistent - As in marketing, the more consistent your networking efforts the more productive they become.

3 Gift your contact - Imagine you are buying your contact a gift for their work - what might it be? Understanding what your contact is looking for is the key to developing rapport and mutual understanding.

4 Get Involved - Getting involved puts you in a consistent position of visibility. It allows you to retain 'Top of Consciousness' positioning and when people need someone your name will spring to mind.

5 Be a Powerful Resource & Facilitator for Others- Expand your network and facilitate for others. Use your networking resources to bridge people you know with others. What goes around comes around.

6 Learn the Needs of Others then Help Fill Those Needs - Can your business fill their needs? Who do you know who can? Either way you have a win/win situation.

7 Building relationships - is more important than collecting lots of leads. Think quality vs. quantity. Connect deeper vs. on the surface.


8 It's More Important to Receive Business Cards than Hand Them Out - This puts you in a position to be able to follow up.

9 Consistently Follow Up - It's not enough to have a network. Follow up and continue developing your relationships and network. Have a good reason to follow up and ask "How can I help you?"

10 Develop Evangelists - Build relationships with Centres of Influence who connect with your ideal client or customer. Offer support and information exchange in return for referrals.

11 Be Connected - The 6 Degrees of Separation Theory states that we are only 6 people away from finding anybody we need to know. Be curious and you will be surprised at what people, resources, and information are at your finger-tips.

12 Develop You - You can grow your career or business as big as you can grow yourself. Start here!

Networking is the key to Star Performance in everything you do. You can build a 'virtuous circle' of networking contacts in as little as five weeks 'from scratch' and maintain that network for a lifetime.

Margaret Stead - Dream Architect, helps individuals, executives and business owners market themselves online into new jobs, careers - building customer-employer relationships and increasing their job satisfaction.

She offers personal coaching, workshops, tutorials, classes and reports on the telephone and in one to one meetings that help people just like you do job hunting that gets results. You can learn more about these terrific resources at www.careersnet.com

More Resources

Job Interviews: Ill File a Grievance!
I recently went to a retirement party with my husband for one of his co-workers. I worked at this same place six years ago (that's where I met my husband, but that's another story), so I knew most of the people at the party.
Getting Your Online Health Care Administration Degree
Are you thinking about getting your online health care degree but don't know where to start? Afraid of choosing the wrong college or school? Here's a simple guide to help you get started building the career that you've always wanted.Making the decision to get your online health care degree is not any easy one.
Thank-You Notes: An Integral Part of Your Career Design
There is one little practice that is vital to generating the interest of potential employers. It is critical, but very few job seekers actually do it.
Ten Great Careers For Single Parents
The challenges of raising a child by yourself, whether you're a mother or father, can be very difficult. Add the burden of having to be out of the home for 40+ hours per week to work and raising a child at the same time can be nearly impossible.
Power Resumes - Writing Your Objectives
A powerful resume starts with a good statement of objective. This is the headline of your advertisement promoting yourself.
Finding Employees For Insurance Industry Jobs
Finding the right employee for any job opening can be a challenge to say the least, and this is no truer than in the insurance industry. With considerations ranging from experience and education to their personal skills, the decisions faced by recruiters and employers can be of critical importance.
Workplace Melodrama--A Flair For The Dramatic
A flair for the dramatic is a theatrical term used to describe an actress or actor who has a talent for melodrama, characterized by intensely enacted interpersonal conflict and exaggerated emotions. The central figure in a melodrama is the hero, who spins his tale or portrays the justice of his cause in a positive light.
Waiting For the Official Job Offer
At the end of the third job interview, Helene was told by the hiring manager, "Congratulations, I am going to recommend you for the position. Expect a call from HR.
Opportunities in Automotive Services Industries - How To Cash In
I believe it would be safe to say that the transportation industry is one of the highest revenue producers in today's modern economies.Millions upon millions of private passenger vehicles rule the highways and rural roads in countries around the world.
Resume Posting: Tips for Jobseekers
Recruiting firms, like most businesses today, must embrace technology in order to prosper. Part of modern recruiting is understanding the value and benefit of internet job boards.
Does Your Resume Have What It Takes To Survive The First Cut?
Qualifications" or "Personal Profile") uses bullets and succinct wording to highlight what is likely to most intrigue the employer. Before writing this section, make a list of the 5 to 10 criteria that are most likely to guide the employer's choice - then summarize your qualifications in a way that speaks directly to the employer's interests.
Looking for Work in All the Wrong Places
The Question: After identifying a potential employer, I get contact information, do my research and send out my resume and cover letter, requesting an interview for a management or human resource position. I am listed with recruiters and staffing agencies and call them every week.
Career Moves: Take Charge of Your Life
Every day millions of people let their inner fears stop them from creating the life of their dreams. No one will deny that it is scary to step out of your comfort zone, but once you challenge your fear and take action, you can attain great things.
How to Choose Your Ideal Career
They say that most people do complete and total career changes at least once often twice in their lifetimes. Very few people chose the ideal perfect career for themselves when they're in high school and blissfully happily work those same jobs for the rest of their lives.
Common Résumé Mistakes
Using a general résumé.DON'T DO IT! You cannot successfully use the same résumé to apply to several different jobs.
In Control - Inside Tips on Interview Success
No, you can't control how the interview will be conducted, nor can you control the outcome. But you can influence it greatly by the way you present your personality and your skills.
How To Effectively Present All Of Your IT Skills
Effectively present all of your IT skills with the IT Technical Skills Summary - an exceptionally powerful document that should form part of every resume submitted.The IT Technical Skills Summary ensures that every IT skill you have acquired - computer software, computer hardware, applications software, and so on, will be indexed in resume databases or viewed by hiring managers or recruiters.
Dont Get Caught In The Security Trap
The day you begin to think of your job in terms of the security versus the opportunities it provides is the day you start to put the brakes on building your career.Time was when a young person entering the workforce could reasonably assume he was signing a lifetime security covenant with his employer.
7 Steps to Interviews that Win the Job
These days, interviews don't come easily. When you get The Call, make the most of your time -- and go for it!1.
A Career With The FBI
Do you have what it takes to become an FBI special agent? Do you have a sincere desire to enforce federal laws and investigate crimes?This job requires hard work and can often times be dangerous and stressful. You'll undoubtedly be in close contact with crimminals and victims of crime.

More Careers & Employment Information:

Related Articles

Aptitude Tests Reveal the Difference Between Your Aptitude & Ability
Aptitude tests measure your skills, abilities, values, interests and personality in order to help you determine which careers you might be best suited for and eliminate those that you are not.Aptitude tests are some of the most important tools to anyone considering a career change.
In Control - Inside Tips on Interview Success
No, you can't control how the interview will be conducted, nor can you control the outcome. But you can influence it greatly by the way you present your personality and your skills.
How to Receive Multiple Job Offers After You're Fired
Ask survivors of the most popular reality television shows and they'll tell you "If you have to eat a cockroach, don't spend too much time thinking about it." Keep focused on the end-game and move on.
Why You Should Never Complain About Former Bosses
You're at a job interview. You're doing great, answering questions left and right.
Building Your Army of Supporters: How to Build Strategic Relationships in the Work Place!
Once you have accomplished your task of getting in the door and getting the job the real job of career advancement begins!You will soon learn (if you haven't already elsewhere) that corporate politics are ALWAYS surrounding you. If it is not your boss who is fearful of you taking his job it is your co-worker who wants to ensure that they are seen "better" than you when promotion time comes calling.
Cracking the Connection Code: Networking for the Introverted
We've all heard it before: "Just get out there and network!" If it was that easy, we would already be doing it. So why is it so hard? Well, you're an introvert, aren't you? Enough said.
Searching for Jobs Online
Searching for jobs online is easier than ever, but also more confusing than ever. Any Internet user doing a job search online will find that they can choose from hundreds of national employment listing web sites and the numbers can often be staggering.
Whiners Need Not Apply
Sometime last summer I decided to host a pity party and invite all my friends. Well, not all my friends, exactly.
What To Do
Ever had that perfect life when everything seems perfect yet you wanna die. I am in the situation where I have the perfect imperfect world.
Searching for an IT Job
Looking for an IT job is one of the easiest to perform due to the incredibly high demand in the IT field. As the Internet grows, corporations network through Intranets - even the advancement of science has the demand for anyone with IT skills at an all time high.
How to Recoup From Missing the Most Important Meeting of the Year
Sometimes missing a critical meeting just can't be helped. Despite the advance planning, you just cannot make it to the meeting.
Booster & Drainers
Like huge anchors on cruise ships, other people can hold you down. Not intentionally, but their negativity impacts you.
Interview Quicksand
How will you respond when you're asked the following two questions?1.What type of boss do you like to work for?2.
3 Questions No Job Seeker Ever Wants To Be Asked?
Employer and interviewers expect you to answer tough question during interviews. Take a few minutes to brainstorm on how you might elaborate on the following answers.
Tips for Building a Successful Career
1. Develop excellent work habits - for example, meet deadlines and don't procrastinate.
The Top Ten Strategies of A Great Interview
You've just received a call to interview with your dream company. Do you know how to prepare for the interview so that you'll feel confident, have a good experience and set yourself apart from others? Try following the steps below and you'll not only be well prepared, you'll present yourself as a true professional.
Job Hunting Tips: Assessing Personal Value
A week out of work is a vacation. You can sleep late in the morning, revel in your newly found free time, shop when the stores are empty, and get around to those chores you have been putting off for too long.
Free Resume Examples: Untold Wealth In 10 Minutes!
Doesn't every job search start with Google?Way back in another lifetime, I was looking for a job after one of my startups failed. Conveniently, everything went to pot in early 2000.
How to Write a Better CV (UK), or Resume (USA and elsewhere)
The first point to make is that the terms "CV" and "Resume" (with or more often without the French acute accents over the e's) are virtually interchangeable in the UK; they mean the same thing, but if anything the norm is CV. In the USA and elsewhere, the CV (Curriculum Vitae to give it its full title - literally "Life Study") is a different animal - a dry listing of qualifications and experience more suited for a university faculty listing for example.
Career Killers to Avoid
Many professionals and managers are so involved in day-to-day crises and fighting fires that they forget about a key leadership characteristic: self-management. Effective leaders are first of all effective in managing themselves - their time, their focus, their emotions and their careers.