94: Struggling to Grow Your Network? 5 Tips to Become a Go-To Resource

Are you showing people that you are a valuable resource, even when they are not ready or able to hire you?

The business owners who build strong networks and earn referrals understand that resourcefulness should not be reserved only for paying clients. When you help people, share what you know, and create opportunities for others, you give them meaningful reasons to remember you and mention your name in rooms you are not in.

In this solo episode, Faithann shares two important areas to audit when your network is not growing. You will learn how small etiquette mistakes may be quietly turning people away and how becoming a resource can help you build trust, strengthen relationships, and create more referral opportunities.

Faithann discusses:

• How networking etiquette affects people’s willingness to build a relationship with you
• Who should offer an alternate date when a meeting must be rescheduled
• Why you should tell someone when another person will be joining your meeting
• How to become a trusted source of business recommendations
• The relationships to build with professionals who serve your clients before or after you
• Why hosting meetups, webinars, or educational events can grow your network
• How volunteering and serving on nonprofit boards build trust
• Ways to share your expertise without giving away too much
• How your own professional development can become a resource for others
• Why people who may never hire you can still become valuable cheerleaders for your business

You will also leave with a practical networking exercise: identify five types of professionals you wish your clients knew before working with you and five they may need afterward. Then begin building the relationships that allow you to confidently make those introductions.

When you become someone who consistently helps people move forward, you become someone they remember, trust, and recommend.

Mentioned in This Episode

• Episode 10: How to Invite Someone to a Networking Event Like a Pro
• Episode 15: Think of Everything
• Episode 48: TACT: The First Floor of Networking Success
• T5 Meetup Fri Sep 25th from 9-11a: RSVP (OKC business owners)

Join the Curiosity Workshop

Learn how to talk about your business naturally in networking meetings, volunteer settings, community events, and everyday conversations. The Curiosity Workshop includes four weeks of instruction followed by in-person and virtual conversation practice.

You can join from anywhere.

The first class begins Friday, September 4. Registration is $125 and closes on Tuesday Aug. 1st.

Register for the Curiosity Workshop here.