Social Capital Mentor

I know it sounds simple, but as Caelan Huntress points out in his article, Build your Business by Making Friends, people often are too aggressive when networking and trying to connect with others. They try to sell, sell, sell. Caelan reminds us to take it easy and focus on the person. He sums it up well, quoting Jeffery Gitomer:

There’s another Jeffrey Gitomer quote I like: “All things not being equal, people still want to do business with their friends.”  You can make a very good career, even if you are not the best at what you do, just by being friendly.

Social skills do not automatically translate to business networking skills. Remember, you can only get better at it if you put yourself out there and practice building your social capital; practice developing relationships. Caelan reviews some common tips on what that looks like:

The rules have not changed since you were a kid.

1. Be nice.
2. Ask questions.
3. Act interested.
4. Find some common ground.
5. And then, when you have established a genuine connection, hand over your card, and describe what you do.

Now get out there and practice.

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