Networking is all about building relationships based on mutual friendship and reciprocity.<\/p>
\u2018Sow before you reap.\u2019[1] <\/p>
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Developing a network takes time. It involves building up a base of contacts and building productive, long-term, mutually beneficial relationships with them so that you can call on them when you need help, information or support. It\u2019s not a short-term activity \u2013 you won\u2019t get very far by calling on people only when you need a solution to a specific, immediate need.<\/p>
You scratch my back, I\u2019ll scratch yours. <\/p>
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The key to building successful networking relationships is reciprocity: both parties must benefit. You need to think about the other person\u2019s needs \u2013 they will lose interest if they feel that the relationship is one-sided. This doesn\u2019t necessarily mean returning favors straight away \u2013 the other person might not need to call on your help for a long time. The important thing is that they feel that you are genuinely interested in helping them achieve their goals and are willing to support them if necessary. Networking means building strong partnerships.<\/p>\n\n
Some people in your network will never be more than just contacts, whereas others will be friends for life \u2013 it all depends on the level of rapport between you. You need to work at building rapport from your very first meeting with a new contact.<\/p>
Rapport is about understanding the other person and showing a genuine<\/strong> interest in their needs. How do you do this? Here are some tips:<\/p> After the initial meeting with a new contact, you need to work at maintaining the relationship, focusing on the process of the relationship as well as the content of your discussions.[2] Don\u2019t just treat it as a business transaction or exchange of information \u2013 aim to achieve a deep understanding of the needs and values of the other person. Here are some tips on how to do this:<\/p> <\/p> Networking is all about building relationships based on mutual friendship and reciprocity. Here are some tips on how to do it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"product-content-category":[7060],"product-content-type":[2580],"reading-time":[5139],"class_list":["post-58374","product-content","type-product-content","status-publish","hentry","product-content-category-networking","product-content-type-article","reading-time-5-minutes"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow Do You Maintain a Relationship?<\/h2>\n\n