MAKING A CONNECTION – Nurturing Relationships Within Your Network

One key element of growing your network that is often overlooked in business is nurturing existing relationships. We’ve all heard the expression “Your network is your net worth” and while having a large network can be seen as an asset, if you don’t nurture those existing relationships, it’s harder to call upon them when opportunities present themselves. Establishing a relationship with a business prospect is only half the battle, growing that relationship and building trust is the second part where many fail. 

Something I’ve learned from my experience as the Co-Founder of a tech company is that people move, people change careers and people are looking for opportunities that match where they are at a certain point in their lives. There have been so many times where I have met or connected with someone while they were working for a company that didn’t have any synergy with mine, but a year, three years, or five years later that same contact is with another company who is now a sales prospect or can be a valuable resource for my company and because I’ve maintained that relationship there is a more significant chance of working together rather than reaching out to them out of the blue years later.

Here are a couple of prime examples of that scenario that have played out for me over the past couple of years, one for my business and one for the non-profit where I serve as a board member.

In 2020, I had connected on LinkedIn with a prospect that worked as the Director of Corporate Partnerships for a popular obstacle type race. At the time, I thought our company could be a good fit to support the race company’s sponsorship efforts. Soon after, I gave the contact a sales demo, followed up with more information, and answered some additional questions he had about a potential partnership. The opportunity was looking promising and then Covid-19 happened. This not only halted in-person events but forced many companies to lay off staff and conserve expenses for a foreseeable amount of time. Unfortunately, this contact was not spared and was laid off as a result of the pandemic. Over the next two years, I kept in touch with him periodically on LinkedIn and in 2022 saw that he had been hired by a professional sports team as the Director of Corporate Partnerships at a league where we didn’t have any team partners. Soon after, I reached out and because I had kept in touch, through the years, we were able to pick up where we left off and I ended up signing that team as a client. The contact told me that throughout the pandemic he had also followed our progress on LinkedIn and when I reached out, he saw the potential our platform could have on his team and his new role.

Another example came in 2023, I currently serve as a board member for a leading non-profit in my community, and at a monthly board meeting, we were discussing sunsetting a fundraiser that was labour-intensive and didn’t bring in enough dollars to warrant the effort. Around that time, I had a contact of mine reach out to me who was now working at a popular fundraising event non-profit that worked with other non-profits and thought there was an opportunity to work together. I had met this contact years earlier while he was at another company and over the years we kept in touch over… you guessed it, LinkedIn.  After a call to catch up, I connected him and his team with our Executive Director and from there a multi-year partnership was formed. Later in the year, we executed the event in our community which was a huge success not only driving a ton of awareness to our non-profit and the work we do in our community but also raising more than triple what the other events used to net us. Had I not kept in touch with this contact and continued to have a strong digital presence, this opportunity may have never presented itself, thus another great example of nurturing relationships.

The following tips are some of the different ways in which you can nurture relationships that will strengthen your overall network and help drive new business opportunities now and in the future:

Engage on LinkedIn: When a contact is sharing an award or success story, leave them a meaningful comment congratulating them. When a contact is posting a job opening, leave a comment that validates the opportunity for job seekers, for example, “Great opportunity to work with a great team and company!” When it’s a contact’s work anniversary, leave a comment congratulating them and wishing them many more or that the company is lucky to have them. Sharing your contacts posts or tagging them is a great way to show your contact that you appreciate their content and willingness to share with others.  These are just a few examples but there are often many opportunities to engage with a contact’s content. This keeps you on their radar and in their minds as a supporter of their work.Handwritten Notes: In this digital world we live in today, it’s always nice to receive a handwritten note. At our company, we have branded cards that on the front have an image of an athlete holding a trophy with the words “You’re the real MVP” and on the inside, we’re able to write a nice note for whatever reason to send to our contacts. Handwritten notes are more personable than an email or message on LinkedIn and show more effort. This simple display of appreciation can go a long way in leaving a memorable impression.

Connect your Contacts with Opportunities: This is one way for sure that has helped me grow a strong engaged network. Some examples of this could be making an introduction for your contact to a potential partnership opportunity. Connecting and suggesting your contact to a relevant podcast host looking for industry-specific guests. Sharing industry events with your contacts. Submitting nominations for your contacts for awards in which you believe they are worthy of recognition for. Providing a recommendation for a contact to help them get into a specific program.

There is no silver bullet in nurturing your network.  I believe it should be a multi-pronged approach and hopefully, these suggestions can help you to build a strong, engaged network that will provide dividends for years to come!

by Kris McCarthy