My friend Nigel Edelshain of IvyTech Partners reached out to me last week to let me know about some new directions for his consulting and outsourced sales solutions business. After we chatted, he sent me a copy of his new company overview and promised to follow up with a list of prospects and types of prospects he’d like to work with.
That’s a great example of tapping into your network with a specific request. Often we just leave it to our contacts to do the work to figure out how they may be able to help us, but let’s face it, we’re all so busy with our own pressing needs, that as much as we want to be helpful, we don’t have the time or creative bandwidth left over to do much heavy thinking for others. I appreciated being given a specific “assignment.”
While this may be too much to ask from someone you just met, because Nigel and I have known each other for almost five years, it was completely appropriate given the level of our relationship. And because of that, he knew to close our conversation with asking, “What can I do to help you?”
Smart guy.
© 2007, Liz Lynch
Liz Lynch is founder and executive director of the Center for Networking Excellence which develops products and programs to help professionals learn how to build profitable relationships. If you're ready to start networking smarter, get your free networking tips now at www.NetworkingExcellence.com .
Comments