Have a look
on LinkedIn or trawl through your company's CRM and you'll see there are a lot
of people who feature on your list of contacts. . There
are rumours of people who have over 30 000 LinkedIn contacts. 135 million users in the world (at least the
last time I looked). Does knowing a lot
of people automatically mean you have a large network? How best then to clarify the soup of contacts
and relationships you have, online and offline?
5 signs you have a useful contact
Ask yourself these simple questions to identify your really useful
contacts
1.
Do
I know my contacts job title and what he/she really does?
This
is a minimum. Being vague at this point
is an indication that your contact probably doesn't know what you do
either. Score 2 if you know both job
title and responsibilities. Score 1 for
knowing only 1. Score 0 for being vague.
2.
Does
my contact appreciate the work I do or did for her/him.
Be
honest. If you think you did a bad job,
this is obviously not the right person to use for networking. If you are proud of what you did and you
think your contact is happy, make a note. Score 2 for a good job, and minus 2 for a bad
job.
3.
As
well as a professional contact, is this person a friend?
A
friend in high places is a friend indeed.
However, if this friendship is public knowledge you may get stuck with
the label of nepotism. Crossing the
professional contact – friendship line has rewards (a new friend) and risks (loss
of face when using that contact for professional purposes). Score 2 for friends and minus 1 for very close
friends that might get you labeled as engaging in nepotism.
4.
How
many contacts from our own networks do we share?
Sharing
contacts is positive, as it means you are more likely to be helped and to help
each other because you both belong to a common group. However, if you share a lot of contacts (more
than 50% overlap) then you won't bring extra networking help to each
other. You are more likely to increase
the exclusivity of the group you both belong to. It's a good time to look for fresh air
outside the group. Score 2 for between
20 and 30% network overlap. Score minus
1 for over 50% overlap and minus 2 for over 80% overlap.
5.
When
did I last see my contact?
I have
a contact who only ever gets in touch because he needs something doing. Although I am usually happy and able to help,
the relationship is definitely a one-way street. Bit by bit, I have taken the power to decide
what happens next in our relationship.
Skewed or unbalanced relationships are not reliable. Score 2 for regular meetings and a balanced
relationship. Score 0 for once a year
contact and minus 2 for imbalanced relationships.
4 steps to
improve my relationships
1.
Total
up your points. High scorers are your
really useful contacts. These people
will help you to connect to new people.
2.
Take
a look at the low scoring contacts.
Within this group you'll find the people you could easily work with more
efficiently.
3.
Choose
one high scoring contact and pick a date next week to go out for lunch to
celebrate.
4.
Choose
a low scoring contact, for whom you consider it worthwhile to improve the relationship
and pick a date next week to get together and kick-start the relationship.
Cate Farrall
1 comment:
I appreciate Cate’s work and her understanding of influence and relationship management. Her understanding is clear and detailed.
From now on, everyone who reads this content will know the importance of methods and tools to influence his network.
Thank you.
Post a Comment