Let’s start with revealing how to ensure a successful new year- Ready?
The only thing you need to do is- networking.
Yes – connect with people you know.
So why does that word sound so scary to so many people?
No one teaches us how to network and this is where I can help 🙂
Basic fact- we all need one another to grow, develop, thrive- no one has made it alone.
Let Me tell you a secret- even you and I didn’t come to this world because of only one person, 😉
The reason I say this is if people around us are so important we should stay in touch right? But we can’t do it often with everyone… so here’s where the New Year’s timing comes to the rescue.
We all know this warm feeling when an acquaintance we have not seen for a long time calls to wish us a Happy holiday, or sends us a personal, unexpected greeting. The small, honest and effortless actions are the ones that mostly strengthen the infrastructure of our socio-professional connections.
Accomplishing our business and employment goals lies, among other things, in our relationships – and in the way others perceive us, or what we call, the “personal brand”. Personal brand functions as a “combat supporter” for our ability to achieve results and promote ourselves professionally, and it influences what others think of us even if we are not in the room.
Why holiday season matter?
During the holidays, we have a golden opportunity to strengthen the way others see us through a small but powerful action – attention! An honest, pleasant greeting that evokes emotion in the other party and makes that person feel that we really care about them, and at the same time reminds them of our existence.
The well-known phrase “it’s not just what you know, it’s who you know” is more relevant today than ever.
In today’s digital and hybrid world, everyone, employee or self-employed, has to take the reins to create the desired professional reality. Our network of contacts provides us with a safety net that the reality we strive for will match the actual results we see. Former LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner even noted that the importance of building networks for career success is only growing year by year.
Therefore, a small action, such as sending a Happy New Year greeting, actually allows us a relative advantage in creating professional opportunities, new clients, promotion in the organization, or finding a new job.
The main challenge in strengthening and maintaining ties
Throughout our lives, we know a lot of people in all sorts of situations, but most of the time we are neither aware nor maintain an inventory of which of our acquaintances will be able to help us when we need it at some point in the future. If so, the more we cultivate relationships with the people around us on a regular basis, the greater the chance that they will be able to do us good when needed. In this age of uncertainty, cultivating an honest network of connections is all the more important, and yet, although the principle is simple and understandable, many find it difficult to cultivate and maintain on a regular basis.
In honor of the new year, I decided to share with you a simple method, through which you can manage your network of contacts during the holidays in the most effective way.
To whom to send the greeting?
The question of the questions – to which of all the people we know to send the blessing? This is the strategic part. It takes some time to plan, but the value is tremendous and it will return to serve you year after year.
Familiarize yourself with the circuit model: Create 3 circles of friends:
– Circle A – The first circle has between 20-40 contacts: they are the most strategic people for you:
Decision-makers, managers, important colleagues, clients who refer you to a lot of work and also people who you just appreciate and want to express it. Also, add important people you have moved away from, the holidays are a great time to stir up those “dormant” connections. Another way to approach planning this circle is to think about your annual plan, about projects you would like to promote this year, a new position you would like to be accepted into and deduce from it which people are most important to you to keep in touch with.
– Circle B – a wider circle of people with whom you are in general contact from time to time, such as the professional environment, former bosses and colleagues, past customers, suppliers, service providers. They will usually be the contacts on your phone or in the professional mailbox
– Circle C – Everyone else with which you are connected on social networks.
Channels for sending the greeting
If each circle represents a potential level of closeness to you, so too does every communication channel: the more personal the message, the more you have invested in that person.
-Circle A – greet through personal communication channels: greeting in the mail, greeting in handwriting, gifting, personal phone call. Circle B – Congratulate with the help of personal WhatsApp, customized email distribution with the recipient’s name in the title and at the top of the message. Circle C – Post a written greeting accompanied by a photo on your social networks profiles, in order to be exposed to as many people from your network as possible.
Guidelines for creating a personal greeting with a minimum of effort
- Keep it short and not philosophical
- Not selling anything (if you are a business owner!) It’s really not the time
- Emphasize your personal tone:
You sent the greeting, what now?
The greetings will bring with them responses that will actually serve you as a kind of “promo” that will support the continuation of the relationship and a conversation about more concrete topics after the holidays, without it looking weird, strenuous or without any noticeable connection.
Building an authentic network of connections requires investment a small gesture like sending a holiday greeting can make a significant contribution to creating truly good and fruitful relationships and business year!
