Networking: Keeping Your Circles Alive

Paramjit Mahli of Sun Communications Group is a former journalist who has worked with international news organizations including CNN Business News, and now helps small to mid-sized law firms get in front of their target markets effectively, efficiently, and expeditiously. Her job is to let the lawyers do what they do best – practice law – while she takes care of their communications and marketing programs.

Referrals from your network don't just happen. It takes time, energy and resourcefulness. Learn what you can do to make your circle come alive.

"Seek first to understand and then be understood," states Steven Covey, author of Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. In essence that is precisely what good networkers do: they make themselves indispensable by becoming resources that you can't do without. Think of concierges at hotels, they know everything that guests might want to need during their stay at hotels. Good networkers are lobbyists, yes, those damned pesky public relations professionals, fundraisers and restaurateurs. Bottom-line, they know people.

When distilled to essentials networking is all about building relationships with your target markets. Think how long it took you to make friends, court and get married. Networking is similar. Once there is trust and confidence, networking can reap dividends.

For lawyers, solo practitioners, associates and managing partners this is an indispensable part of their business, even though they think it ranks at the bottom of their priority list. Building your book of business requires grass roots networking, regardless of whether you think marketing is overrated hype and fluff. Regardless of gender, geography and ethnicity, people do business with people who they know and trust. Yet, with all the demands on our time not only is it tempting to designate networking at the bottom of the priority list but it is also so easy to ignore. Like personal relationships networking takes time, effort and solid commitment from you.

Where do you start?