Recent months have brought even more uncertainty to a struggling economy and tough labor market, forcing many of us to make tough choices with our people and budgets.
A few times in recent weeks, I've heard job seekers remind themselves that, "It's all about who you know in the job market." To a certain extent, they are of course right. How much we know gives us the credibility to do what we do, but it's often our relationships that get our foot in the door, whether it's for an interview, new business opportunity, or countless other business activities.
As much as who we know is valuable, it's even more important what those we know say or think about us when we're not there. After all, I've met master networkers who seem to know everyone and their mother in the business world, but always struggle. On the other hand, I know those who put more emphasis on the quality of their relationships (instead of quantity) in order to build a brand of trust with the people they spend their time with. My wife is a great example of someone who puts quality ahead of quantity in relationships and then often sees amazing synergies emerge those quality interactions.
Our brand is the stories that people tell about us (or tell themselves) when we're not around. What story do people tell about you when you're not around? Is it a story you'd be proud of?
Statistics still show that 75% of new jobs come through networking and relationships. While I haven't seen statistics for the importance of existing relationships in creating new business activities, I can certainly attest to the fact that in our business, that number is far greater than 75%.
People don't just help out people they know. People help out people they trust. People hire people they trust. People do business with people they trust.
What are the people in your network saying about you? If it's not the things that it should be, then perhaps it's time to start focusing on quality relationships instead of just quantity of relationships.
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