Marketing WilesUsing Wiles to Market Your Brand

Networking has always been a vital part of any professional’s career.  However, with the downturn of the economy and the overall sense of dread felt by every employer, networking has become more imperative than ever.  In the book, What Color is Your Parachute, the author (Richard Nelson Bolles) emphatically preaches that the best method in finding a job is through your network.  Additionally, if you have ever worked in a call center, you would know that selling someone on a cold call is a monumental feat compared to selling to someone you know personally.

I recently listened to a podcast on networking and their main point was that every professional should follow the “Rule of 50″.  You should have at least 50 people that you communicate with professionally on a regular basis in your field or in fields that are related to you.  Now, when I say “communicate on a regular basis” I don’t mean that you just contact them when you need something.  The whole purpose of having a professional network is to have a GIVE and take relationship.  If you only contact a person when you are in desperate need of a job or just for sales calls then you are really abusing your professional relationship.

So how can you improve your network?  Here are a few suggestions.

Make a list of those in your network. If you haven’t already made a list of those professionals in your network then today is the day to start.  Look at and list those who you already have an established relationship with, then look at those who you are acquainted with and would like to develop a better relationship with.  Aim for 50 names.

Make contact with each of them! Take all these names and drop them an email or a short call to touch base.  Send an article that is in relation to their field.  They will appreciate your thoughtfulness and will more than likely reciprocate your gesture.  Another suggestion for your well established relationships is to record their birthday in your calendar and be sure to drop them a note on that special occasion.  To make contact with each of these 50 easier, simply make it a point to once a week drop one of them a note (50 professionals, 52 weeks a year).

Utilize professional networking websites. Not all of us are very good at keeping things organized so thank goodness there are developers out there smarter than we who created social networking sites.  Use LinkedIn, InCircle, Facebook, etc. to help you keep track of your network. *

The whole point of this blog is to preach that now is the time to pull your network together.  If you haven’t already established your 50, then get off your computer and start jotting the names down now!  This is a practice that will not only benefit you but also your career and those within your network.

*I would like to note that I view Facebook as more of a personal networking site with close friends and family while professional networking sites, such as LinkedIn, are exclusively for your professional acquaintances and should be a preferred resource for use in this exercise.   Additionally, even if someone in your LinkedIn or Facebook account is within your network, it does not necessarily mean that they should be included in your “50”.  Often times within these accounts you have connections with hundreds of people that you may have not spoken to in years or are just a “friend” because you couldn’t see a reason to ignore their friend request.

Tags: social network