CONNECTED

You have more contacts than you realize. And they are just waiting for you to get connected with them.

I am talking about that business card collection in your desk. The time has come to connect with these people to find out what they are doing now, how you can help them, and, perhaps, how they can help you in return.

Will it be awkward to call them now after so much time has passed? Yep.

Will it be worth the effort? Absolutely!

Schedule 1 call a week to an old contact, by the end of the year your networking base will have increased by at least a dozen people. Schedule 1 per day, and your base can increase by over 50 people before the new year.

How do you reconnect? Here’s the steps I use:
Call.
Say hello.
Remind them who I am.
Explain that I am calling because I haven’t called in so long and I just want to connect today so the next call wont be awkward.
Wish them every success in whatever they are doing now. (By the way, what are you doing now?)
Tell them I am networking a lot these days and ask what they need for their business so I can be their “bird dog”.
Encourage them to stay in touch, and tell them I will call again soon.
Conclude the call.

If you really want to build a bigger, better professional network, give this method a try and let me know how it goes.