Connection Control

Connie Laughlin

How to win friends and influence people, to steal a line from Dale Carnegie, is first gained by building trust. Chinese look for friendship first, and build business relationships second. To win the connection you must first win the person.
 
Establish a common ground to help gain trust. Make a value connection, build the business case, and then provide your value proposition.
 
Keep control of your connections. Don’t slack off; always find ways to keep in front of key decision-makers or those that can help you meet key decision-makers.
 
Today’s world is full of new twists, turns, and out-of-the-box ideas. You must get up off your chair and get going. Meet new people that can help you on your journey to success. Stay on top of what’s going on in your community, who’s coming and who’s going.
 
“Networking” used to mean going for drinks with other business people. It’s different now and a whole lot more exciting. Look for like-minded C-level business people wanting to make connections. First, offer to help them. Jeffrey Gitomer says, “If you make yourself valuable, and memorable, others will want to make you part of their network”.
 
Value is the key word. No matter what the subject “value” reigns king. You’re looking for value in every purchase you make, you’re looking for value in your life partner and in all other relationships you acquire along your way.
 
Thoroughly plan your networking opportunities. Who do you want to meet? What companies do you want to penetrate? What areas, in your organization, are you looking to improve and what will help you be successful? Know what you want, and know who can help you achieve your vision. Write everything down.
 
Connections aren’t to be made only during business hours. When out and about ask your friends, family members, and neighbors how you can help them grow their businesses. Connecting is very powerful if done properly. Once you’ve provided value to them, ask for it back. 
 
Don’t expect pay-off to come immediately. Continuously gauge your networking pipeline.  Make sure you’re putting enough time in and that you’re connecting with the right people. Wasted days and wasted nights don’t get you anywhere.
 
Ask questions, be brief, be humorous, be impressive without being boring, and work smart.
 
Another Dale Carnegie quote, “You can close more business in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get people interested in you.”
 
Connie Laughlin is a Business Consultant for Unique HR. She can be reached at (361) 852-6392 or conniel@uniquehr.com.