Outside of a desirable product or service, what drives a business’s success is relationships. No matter what industry you operate in, forming lasting connections with other businesses and professionals can lead to new opportunities for everyone.
Between local events, conferences and online communities to name a few mediums available today, it’s easier than ever to establish and maintain solid business connections with peers. Below, 15 Forbes Business Council members each share one key to making the right business connections in your industry.
1. Prioritize Building Trust
The best business connections are people who have seen that you are someone they can trust. Taking the time to slow down, really listen and then demonstrate not just your knowledge but more importantly, your ethics builds the strongest bridges. Those connections will invite you into their circles and vouch for you, and this is what generates the best business opportunities over the long term. – Michelle Bogan, Equity At Work
2. Understand Your Larger Goals
It’s important to understand your goals for making the connection and identify the contacts or networks that share or complement them. Timing also plays a role in whether a connection is valuable. For example, to build or scale a board of directors, you need to identify the skills and profile that your business needs for its specific type or stage of growth. Doing so will direct you to the “right” connections. – Carla Bourque, Rebrandly
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3. Stay True To Your Commitments
In my experience, the key to making meaningful connections in the digital business process outsourcing and offshoring industry is always staying true to your commitments. Also, remain authentic and nurture your partnerships over time. I have maintained connections for over two decades in this industry and I have been able to forge and strengthen these connections and partnerships by working on them. – Dishant Bhojwani, IntouchCX
4. Focus On The Human Connection
There is no right or wrong business connection. I meet people for the love of human connection. For me, industry events are an opportunity to travel and meet like-minded individuals whom I can learn something new from and build a healthy relationship with. The byproduct of the relationship is gaining opportunities for knowledge exchange and partnerships, as well as access to valuable resources, referrals and sales. – Noman Siddiq, Cloudlead, Inc.
5. Seek Out Similarities
Identifying common denominators is the key to making the right business connections. Common denominators can be in the form of similar interests, which provide opportunities to help each other grow professionally and potentially learn about global scenarios. Establishing and nurturing these business connections enables a continuous learning curve and provides for a global perspective. – Sameer Zaveri, Datamotive.io
6. Be Visible
Contribute to your industry by writing articles, speaking at events or hosting webinars. Attend various events like conferences, seminars and trade shows related to your industry. Visibility establishes you as an authority and attracts like-minded professionals. This leads to building strong, mutually beneficial business relationships, which is the goal. – Adam Povlitz, Anago Cleaning Systems
7. Build Relationships In Person
I’m a huge proponent of face time. Build relationships with personal, impactful interactions that lead to strong, lasting relationships. Attend conferences and events to learn about trends and developments while meeting new prospective clients or partners. People are more likely to trust someone they’ve met in person, and trust is the fundamental building block for all great business interactions. – Chris Gerlach, Synergy Life Science
8. Attend Industry-Specific Events And Conferences
In my experience, attending industry-specific events and conferences is key to making the right business connections. Being present and active in such forums allows for genuine interactions and the chance to learn from peers. As a result, these connections often lead to collaborations, partnerships or even new business opportunities, fostering growth and innovation in the sector. – Andrei Neacsu, HyperSense Software Inc.
9. Create A Digital Presence
The best business connections come from people who did research about you and reached out to you directly. You can achieve this by creating a digital presence, content and social media channels. It’s a lot easier to filter inbound connections versus outbound. Great minds think alike, so this is a great way to pitch about who you are by reaching a group of people rather than individuals. – Jesse Sasomsup, Earnest Homes
10. Network
Networking is unquestionably essential. While being proactive, attending events and engaging with industry associations are all crucial, supporting peers in their pursuits is even more impactful. It fosters a sense of partnership and forges stronger, enduring bonds. – Nir Ayalon, Cydome
11. Engage Genuinely
One key is genuine engagement. Show interest in others’ work and offer help where you can. This builds trust, leading to collaborations, opportunities and shared learning. – Tomas Keenan, Step It Up Academy
12. Provide Value
The key to making the right business connections in any industry is to provide value to those connections. For example, we received a referral from an industry connection and provided instant, quantifiable results to that referred client. This resulted in our connection being elevated in the eyes of our now mutual client. That industry connection instantly became our top referral source. – ‘Smitty’ Robert J. Smith, Robert J. Smith Productions
13. Get Involved
One key to making the right business connections in your industry is to get involved. Network, build relationships, attend events, join professional organizations and be an active member of your local community. These types of events provide organic opportunities to meet, connect with and build relationships in your industry. – Matthew Davis, GDI Insurance Agency, Inc.
14. Prioritize Curiosity Over Immediate Needs
The key is focusing on genuine curiosity over time rather than prioritizing immediate needs. Waiting leads to desperate, transactional connections that reduce the opportunity for true connection and community. Integrating networking into daily life fosters authentic relationships based on trust. These connections create a supportive community, shared knowledge and enduring success, enhancing opportunities in the industry. – Amber Brown, Grant Cardone Licensee
15. Put Effort Into Maintaining Your Relationships
Nurture and maintain a positive relationship with the people you meet. Try sending them messages once a month and ask about their day. Have coffee with them and talk about your businesses or personal lives. Aim to build lasting connections and friendships instead of just simply connecting. – Pavel Stepanov, Virtudesk
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