Monday, April 27, 2009

The Advocacy Model: Making a Contact

In 'Business Networking: The Advocacy Model' I outlined the four steps involved.

The first is making contact or connecting. When you meet someone through networking the key factors that lead to a networking relationship are:
· do I like them?
· do I find them interesting?
· are there points of contact (business or personal)?
· do I want to take this further?

This connection may not happen the first time you meet someone. It may take time attending regular meetings to get to liking someone, finding them interesting or establishing points of contact. One of the great things about interacting with people in a regular group is that you get the time to make connections with people that you might have dismissed on the basis of a single brief meeting.

In order to address the last question you need to learn enough about the person to decide. That means having a real conversation rather than a superficial one where you just exchange business cards and move on.

When the time is right and you both decide that further exploration is worthwhile then you can move to the second stage, follow up.

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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