One of my goals in 2014 is to more regularly connect with former colleagues, clients and journalists. It is not always easy to find time to network, but to keep a pulse on the business community as well as to maintain personal connections with the people who have made a difference in my life, it is important to take time to connect face-to-face.
As I was considering my goal, I began thinking about best practices for maintaining connections and relationship building. Here are my thoughts.
Finally, I recommend staying current on networking best practices. There are a number of wonderful articles on this topic on Harvard Business Review’s website. I especially found Dorie Clark’s post, “Three Mistakes to Avoid When Networking,” interesting and informative, especially when trying to make new connections with people who don’t know you or are perceived as above you in status.
Networking takes work, but the results can be extremely rewarding with new or reaffirmed friendships and business relationships. The key is to make sure you make it part of your regular routine, invest in preparing and follow through. Taking these critical steps can make all the difference to building meaningful and long-lasting relationships.
Tags: Networking, Relationship Building Filed under: COMMUNIQUÉ PR, PR trends, Reputation Management