Grow Your Network in Just 10 Minutes a Day

By Cindy Earl, Founder & CEO, ClaimYourSpotlight.com and Red Carpet Women Network (RCWN)

Networking is a fundamental marketing strategy to growing a profitable business, however most people dread the idea. For most business owners I’ve worked with, networking feels unnatural, intimidating and a little sleazy. But what if the best networking only took you 10 minutes a day and you never even have to leave your house? Really! You may never need to attend one of those rubber-chicken, cringe-worthy dinners again! According to Book Yourself Solid author, Michael Port, there are actually two types of networking:

Traditional Networking – developing relationships with people you already know or have met
Direct Outreach – developing relationships with people you want to know: these are influencers, power players and people who can make things happen for you and your business

Both are essential to building a profitable business. Port suggests that you make two lists – one list of 90 people you already know and another list of 20 people you would like to know (influencers, media, power players). Next, he simplifies the process into three DAILY TASKS:

Introduce two people on your List of 90 to each other by sending a quick email or social media message to two folks you already know who could benefit from connecting with each other
Send a relevant article, book, blog post to two people each day
Share your compassion with one person per day – a quick note or email to offer praise, congratulations or sympathy to someone going through a rough time

Then, mark the names of people you connected with off your list of 90 or 20, and add new people to your list every day. How simple is that? If you are seen as a connector of others, the results will be staggering! Have you heard the saying, “Givers get”? What you give to others comes back to you ten-fold. It’s the Law of Attraction at work. Networking is simply sharing your knowledge, network and compassion with others every day. If you consistently do this every day for a month, you will be keeping in touch and reaching out to 120 people per month. Imagine how quickly your business will grow! Did you know 74% of clients will give you a referral if you ask for it and 93% of small business owners who follow this simple system will increase the clients they serve and revenue by 40%? So, what are you waiting for? It couldn’t be simpler and you don’t even have to leave home. Get out a pen and paper, make your list of 90 and list of 20 and start connecting today!