Updated January 2020
How would you like to have 52 more referral sources in your network?
Not 1, 10, or 25, but 52.
It’s easier than you might think. And it’s very possible to create meaningful business relationships with 52 more people in less than a year.
Here’s how you do it.
Coffee Conversations
Find a new person to have coffee with every week for the next year. It only has to be for 30 or 45 minutes. Simply email them or give them a call and say you’d like to find out more about their business, and how you can help each other.
These people can be associates from work that you just “sort of” know, people from an association or club you’re involved with, or even your next-door neighbor.
We get stuck thinking our network will only work if we are best friends with our networking connections.
But the value of your network comes from when you have a large number of “weak” connections that can give you access to new pools of information and access. You don’t have to talk to them constantly, but you need to know a little about what they do and vice versa. That way, you can both look for opportunities for the other.
Conversation Creates Connection
The purpose isn’t to sell anything, you don’t need to have a pre-set agenda. It’s simply to find out more about another person and their business. In fact, you don’t even have to talk about your business much.
Simply go in and ask questions that will encourage a conversation. (Here’s a very simple tool that can help you do that).
At the end of the conversation, you’ll know more about how you can help them. And they’ll know more about how they can help you. Maybe something will come of it right away, or maybe you’ll just be planting seeds for the future.
And if the conversation was good, set a reminder to reach back out to them in a few months to check in or possibly have another cup of coffee.
Do this once a week for the next year and you will have 52 new connections. That’s 52 new partners that you have as you build your career. You’ll see some great things happen when you have so many sources of fresh information.