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For a smaller business networking is key, so what is the most effective way to do it? the first step in developing your network is to proactively list the contacts you want to develop relationships with,  These are the people who can help in achieving business and professional goals or who can introduce you to others who might be of influence. A successful network is made up of diverse individuals; if you always surround yourself with the same type of people, you will always get the same advice.  It’s more effective to have a wider perspective for a leader to draw from.

Next, you should work out how you can best reach those people. Do you know them personally, can someone make an introduction, or can you add them as contacts on LinkedIn or follow them on Twitter?

You then need to create and maintain a “database” of those contacts. For most, the Rolodex has long gone out of fashion, but it may be that a card system like that is how you prefer to work. You could categorise your network into an Outlook contacts folder, or use an online contact management system such as Plaxo. For more complex use, there’s CRM software such as Salesforce or Zoho and there are many mobile apps for contacts.

Finally, you need to set some objectives to ensure that you actively work your network. These will depend on your needs and available time.  It may be that you want to meet, talk to or somehow interact with every one of your contacts once a year. Some could be more important to you and you may choose to interact more frequently.  It may be worth creating a tier system to guide you with this.

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