In a recent blog post, Jason Jacobsohn, in his Networking Insight Blog wrote about the value you receive when YOU act as a connector to your network.

Being a connector is one of the most important things a “master networker” does. Being a “master networker” means that you are so good at networking that you have an abundance of leads and referrals – more than you can handle.

By connecting others together, you’re accomplishing many positive actions at once:

• You’re showing members of your network how much you care about them
• You’re enhancing your personal brand and reputation
• You’re positioning yourself as the “go-to” person in your contacts’ networks
• You’re sowing the seeds of helping others so that at a later point they will want to help you
• You’re using the opportunity to connect people as a point of staying “top-of-mind” with your contacts
• You’re giving the contacts whom you connect to each other an opportunity to ask how they might help you

Here’s a little quiz to see if you are a connector. Do you ask any of the following questions – EVERY TIME you speak to one of your network contacts? Do you document the answer? Do you have a system, process, tool, software program to follow-up and track this information?

• Do you ask your network contacts what they need?
• Do you probe to understand how you might help them?
• Have you solicited from them in the past who their ideal client might be?
• Do you tell them what your ideal client looks like?
• What obstacles do they face in obtaining business leads or opportunities? How can you help them to overcome these obstacles?
• Have you attempted to understand why they succeed? What special gift do they bring to the table that you can share with other members of your network?
• What differentiates how they perform their services or deliver their products from their competitors?

Do you track the number of times you’ve connected people together? Do you monitor if a successful engagement or project came out of that connection?

Being a connector is one of the most valuable elements of networking. It practically guarantees you will have an abundance of referrals and leads.

What’s holding you back from taking on the role of being a connector within your network?

To read the full article on Networking Insights, click the link below:

Connect Others and You Will Be Rewarded

Barry Deutsch

P.S. This is one of the key issues we’ll tackle together in the Chair e-Course on Finding New Members. We’re going to start the first course very soon – have you sent me a note yet that you would like to take part in the course?