Effective business network

In the memorable scene of a duel with Alien, a space monster, sergeant Sigourney Weaver wore an exoskeleton, which multiplied her power and enabled the win over the alien. This is how I imagine the operation of an efficient business network in case of critical circumstances – when Your company needs to increase power, you turn on proper buttons and beat the beast

Of course, this vision does not describe fully the concept of an effective network – it’s just a small and probably, during the everyday work, not so essential part of possibilities which you and your company may be offered by a properly constructed and maintained network of relations. However, I like this thought that helpful people can make you a hero when struggling for life (provided you deserve it!). Maybe, you don’t need an armour in your business but, for example, an efficient team of salesmen, who will guide you to so called qualified customers, i.e. those who search exactly for your products/service, or recruiters because you start to launch a new enterprise and need proven people. A properly composed and managed business network can prove itself in each of below situations, provided you developed the strategy of its formation in advance.
A professional networker starts the construction or expansion of a business network from considering who is the addressee, creating a profile of the ideal customer/co-operator/ contractor and analysing who could be helpful – people from which branches, specialties, environments or companies.Next, one should plan activities thanks to which he/she is able to expand the contact network by useful people and to deepen relations with persons that he/ she regards as key for a further success, being aware that the efficiency of a network is not about the number of established contacts but the quality of relations.
If you know where to go, you can plan your route. It is best to start with a review of current business contacts to check to what extent they suit your new network plan and how close these relations are. For example, if these are people met during a conference or training, after which you have only a card, you rather can not
count that such person remembers what you do, moreover, he/she won’t recommend you to his/her clients and partners. Are there any persons you are strongly related, who, due to common positive experiences, naturally, are your supporters and recommend you to others.
It is essential that you considered contacts taking into account categories related with the power and type of relations. First, divide them according to the power of relation into weak (a person probably does not remember your name, your job and you know little about him/ her), medium, i.e. persons you had common affairs in the past but some time passed from your last meeting/conversation, and strong contacts – people who know you and the specificity of your business (and vice versa) and recommend you to people from their network. Next, divide the contacts according to the category of relations – is this person your customer or co-operator, what strategic role he/she can play in your business development, considering the position, specialisation, number of contacts that are valuable for you and other factors which you regard as essential.
Regardless the moment you start at, when you know how your network should look like and function, another step is creating an activity plan. Look at your network project and the time that you can regularly devote to networking activities and next, develop the plan of them and… act! Remember that the process of forming interpersonal relations is long and requires regularity, however, similarly to a garden, which you look after, water and weed every day and which brings you crop, your network will reward your efforts and help to win the beast when necessary. More information about networking can be found e.g. in „Own business – why?

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