Time, effort, and authenticity are important ingredients to building strong, mutually beneficial relationships. The art of genuinely connecting with others and helping them climb in their own journey seems to have been forgotten over the years.
As passionate entrepreneurs and business owners, it can be hard to just listen and connect with others. Listening and learning more about others and their business, vision, dreams, and goals takes an investment of time & effort that some are not willing to commit. Focusing on relationships and others can be analogous to long-term investing; it takes time, effort, and patience.
In the COVID era, in-person networking events that facilitate an opportunity to connect with others in the business community are few and far between. However, there are ample opportunities to begin “planting seeds” and making authentic connections through social media platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.
Over the years, I have been very blessed and fortunate to establish wonderful relationships utilizing social media by implementing the following formula:
Identify
Take time to reflect on personality traits in others that you admire. What is it about those traits that you admire? Are they looking to build relationships with similar people as you? Once you identify those people that you are excited to be around, use social media (videos in particular) to begin your search. Begin to reach out with brief video or written intros and start connecting!
Giver’s Gain
I highly recommend reading this book by Bob Burg as it is by far one of the best books I have ever read. The essence of the book is to simply give first and expect nothing in return. Asking questions like, “How can I help you build your business?,” “Who are you looking to connect with that will help grow your business?” These questions will help build an authentic relationship built on mutual trust, understanding, and reciprocity. Moreover, it will immediately set you apart from others who might have their own agenda in mind.
Follow Up
This is an important step so having a system (CRM, etc.) to follow up with your connections is paramount. If you are just starting your business ownership journey, keep things simple and just use an excel spreadsheet to make sure no one “falls through the cracks.” A simple “Thank You” follow-up email is a good way to start, but I also think sending an old-fashioned handwritten note is a great idea.
Make sure you send social media connection requests prior to or immediately after the initial call. By doing so, you can start engaging with their content (and vice versa) which will serve as another medium to stay in touch.
kurt.mueller@apollonwealth.com
MOBILE: 803-671-8792 MAIN: 706-855-8811
3633 Wheeler Road, Suite 230 Augusta, Ga 30909
