This week, I’ve been entrenched in Kelly O’Neal’s Collaborate to Accelerate Course in Profit-ology. In her course, I got to thinking about what it really means to network on a sincere level.

Networking by way of collaboration has undoubtedly changed my life and has helped my business grow. Today, I want to share this process and encourage everyone to try it out:

1. Look Around and JOIN An Organization That You Are Passionate About
Serve on the board or help with events. This helps you develop relationships with like-minded people. Once you’re in, WORK THAT DIRECTORY!
Reach out to people on that list, set up a meeting and CONNECT!
2. Have a MINIMUM of 3 Meetings Per Week
Come to the meeting with an open HEART, an open SPIRIT, and open EYES.

How I do it:
I turn the table and let them talk: You can open with statements like: “Tell me about your business.” “Tell me about how you started.” “Tell me who you serve.”
I genuinely open myself to where they’re coming from.
I always prepare to ask for what I need.

3. DOCUMENT. DOCUMENT. DOCUMENT.
My deep and undying love for CRM comes into play here. Get to the habit of dictating your notes after your meeting. This helps you capture even the smallest details and allows you to keep to the heart of the conversation. And when you meet again, you have those tiny details at your fingertips.

Pro Tip: If you have an assistant, you can pass the dictation along and they can enter the information in your database for you.

4. Follow Up!
Thank the person for the appointment. Sending an email is great. If you can find the time to send a hand-written card, even better! Include your follow up information to make room for another meeting down the line.

In a nutshell, you can establish and nurture long-lasting relationships only if you:

PAY ATTENTION.
SERVE FIRST.
ASK FOR WHAT YOU NEED.
DOCUMENT.
CONSISTENTLY FOLLOW UP

5. CONNECT Them With Someone That They NEED

After listening to their needs and getting to know them more, you’ll soon SEE INVISIBLE LINKS to people in your network. A person you know may be able to help another person you’ve just met.
Do these things sincerely, and you will be surprised by how they come back to help you.

People sincerely want to help people they know. If you don’t have anything else going on for a few days, fill your calendar with these meetings.

At the end of the day, your intention should be geared towards finding people to start meaningful relationships with. Networking will organically happen.

And that is what it means to NETWORK LIKE A BOSS!

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I am always looking forward to meeting new people and collaborating on anything! If you have something in mind or if you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to message me on Facebook or schedule a call from my website.

Till next time! 🙏