Choose your "All Star Team"

Choose Your "All Star Team" That Will Work For You Ever wish there was someone in your corner, someone looking out for you, singing your praises or making connections and opening doors for you? You do. In fact, you probably have 10 or more potential people like that who can improve your business, help you network, and create opportunities when you least expect them. You don't have to head a huge corporation to have a board of advisors. In fact, you probably already have a potential group of associates and acquaintances that could serve you well as advocates, mentors and personal cheerleaders. The key to developing this core group into your "All Star" team, your advocates, your personal "sales" team is identifying and cultivating these relationships, so you can count on their unsolicited support, like money in the bank. Building relationships requires making investments. Like regular deposits in a bank account, staying on the radar of your "key" people requires creativity that goes way beyond a monthly call to "check in". In fact, calls of that kind are the least effective. They give contacts the impression that you are calling because you want something. Ideally, you want contacts and advisors to associate a call from you as an opportunity they won't want to miss. Here's how: Coach Nick's Step by Step Approach To Putting Together Your "All Star Team:" Identify your core, then zero in. The first step is looking at the 200-300 people that comprise your personal network. This includes neighbors, friends, colleagues, past and prospective clients, former employees, etc. Go through your Rolodex and find the core 10 percent - the most valuable people, or the people you perceive as having the best possibility of influencing your career. How do you determine the cream of the crop? Your best "All Stars" are people who are influential, either in terms of position, money or contacts they can use to help you. The second, even more important criteria, is that they care about you and care enough to help you without asking. Once you've identified this core group, you want to do everything in your power to build on the relationships you have with them, so your return is even greater than what you already have been fortunate enough to receive. Make contact anything but routine. Nobody wants to get a call that smacks of "can you help me now." Approaching business relationships like you would other relationships means going beyond the transparent "check in" call and developing a relationship where contact from you is wanted, welcome and perceived as offering value. Make frequent contact with advisors (and people you want to cultivate as potential advisors) in a way that offer benefits. E-mail a great article you read that relates to their field of interest. Send them tickets to an event they are passionate about, such as a golf outing or a concert. Support their favorite charity monetarily or by offering to volunteer. Write them a handwritten note congratulating them on a recent success. Become a networking partner. One of the easiest ways to show advisors you care and offer value by association is by making referrals and introductions. Whenever you come across a person or situation that could benefit your contacts, make the connection for them. Keep them in the loop by e-mailing them about referrals you've made or offering to make introductions on their behalf. By helping them succeed in their careers or personal goals, you incentivize them to continue being proactive on your behalf. It's all about the law of reciprocity - doing something good for others inevitably comes back to you. Stay on their radar. A proven way to develop "All Stars," is to be on their minds at least once a month. One easy way to ensure this is by giving a monthly "gift" that makes them think of you every time they receive it. Whether it's a magazine or business journal subscription, or a coffee or beer-of-the-month club, by keying into their interests and giving them something that's appreciated, you're guaranteed to be "always on their mind." The cost or effort connected to this kind of gesture isn't huge, but your returns will be. Make it personal. Connecting with advocates on a deeper level, makes them care about you even more, prompting them to want to help you. Reaching that deeper level can be achieved by taking relationships to a more personal level. Picking up a neat souvenir for them when on vacation, inviting advocates to barbecues or holiday parties hosted by you, are easy ways to show them how much you value their association. Events also offer the opportunity for all your associates to meet, network and inevitably talk about how they know you. The good times they create and the relationships they build put them in your debt. Offer rewards. Take time to properly thank advocates for any kind of referral or introduction they make on your behalf. If it leads to any business or opportunity, send them a token of thanks, a gift that will motivate them to send more opportunities your way. Share opportunities. If you land an opportunity, such as a big project where you'll need outside help, or an event requiring sponsors or speakers, go to your advisors first. Even if they turn down the opportunity, they will be flattered to be asked and remember to offer you the same opportunities in return. If they do take you up on it, any future business contacts they make from the event will put them in your debt. Creatively staying on the radar of your "All Stars," adds value to their lives while serving to bolster your own "sales team." It's the ultimate win-win. Deposits in this kind of bank account gain interest and generates the feel-good energy that comes from helping others. When you need to withdraw from the bank account for a favor, you'll know you've got the funds to cover any request. Developing strong relationships with advocates creates a circle of positive energy that ultimately comes back to you. You can never go wrong do something right, so remember to pay it forward.