You Can Double Your Networking Success by Asking For AIR

by Charles Brown

Networking is all about giving, helping and supporting the people in your network. The core principle behind networking is that the more you build up other people, the more you will receive. 

However there is a "But." You can make many people feel grateful to you and want to help your own growth, but if they don't know what you want or need, they are helpless. 

So, without negating the fact that you must give first and give often in order to succeed at networking, you must have a system in place to help other people help you. The problem is, many of us feel awkward about asking for help. And the asking often comes across as clumsy as a result. 

Fortunately there is an easy, three-step system you can use to easily double your networking success. It is called the "A.I.R. System." 

* "A" stands for "Advice." Have you ever met anyone, anywhere who didn't love to be asked for their advice? Me neither. And fortunately, although not every piece of advice is good, you will never find anyone who has all bad advice. Encourage your contacts to give you advice on any topic you wish. "John, I need some advice on writing my business plan, can you help me?" Or, "Denise, you've been in banking for a number of years, can you give me some advice about how to get banking clients who need someone to write content on their websites?" 

Asking for advice will get anyone talking and will also gain their appreciation. I don't recommend insincere flattery, but asking for someone's advice always strokes their ego just a little bit. You will get more than good tips to help you solve a problem, you will build a friendship along the way.

* "I" stands for "Information." Asking for information naturally flows from asking for advice. After Denise has given you advice on how to attract clients in her banking industry, you can easily transition to asking for information about the banks in your area who need certain services, or what their policy is for dealing with new vendors. After someone has given you advice, they will gladly provide the information you need to act on that advice.

* "R" stands for "References" or "Referrals." Now you are asking for the names of key people who can help you achieve your goals. "Denise, who should I be talking to about writing web content for banks in the area?" Or, "Tom, who would you recommend I talk to about learning more about working in mining equipment sales?" People are often reluctant to give the names of their own contacts out too freely. They might fear that if you make a nuisance of yourself, it will reflect badly upon them. But, by asking for these names after you have asked for advice and information, you will encounter much less resistance to getting references and referrals. 

Networking is a game of give and take. Courtesy and helpfulness always precedes taking benefits for yourself, but you still have to open the way for people to reciprocate. Try using the "A.I.R." method and you will find it helps other people to help you. 

COPYRIGHT(C)2006, Charles Brown. All rights reserved. 

Charles Brown writes about personal branding, search engine optimization, email marketing, social networking and many more ways to market yourself or your business online. Visit him at Web Marketing Coach and be sure to download one of his free ebooks or subscribe to his newsletter. 

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