Why do we connect?

There are many different answers available to this question, such as:

1. Gaining a new connection

2. Expanding your network

3. Possible new client

4. Maybe you just like to connect

But I would like you to ask yourself why do you network and connect with other people?!

When I started working in Marketing, one of the main reasons was to acquire as many connections as possible and to surround myself with “possible” clients… Hmm…I was told by one person, that this is the way you do it because you are a Marketer. Also, companies I have worked for didn’t care too much about whom you know and why you are connecting with those people. They just wanted numbers on your LinkedIn and other Social Media networks, so they can push their product or service through your channels and promote it with your connections - “potential clients”.

So I fell into this abyss of not caring whom I am connecting with and why, just needed the numbers so I can do what I was trained to do by my superiors. Promote, Sell and Push clients to check and purchase your services and products. It’s not shameful to say that most old-school marketers were doing the same thing. The game of Numbers and Volumes, nothing else!

I didn’t realise how destructive this approach was and how much this can damage your reputation and it can be seen by many as insulting and annoying.

Naturally, I am a very outgoing person and I love to network and connect with different people. So after leaving that circle of craziness and starting my own business, I have decided to change the approach. I wanted to connect with people from different backgrounds and to see who they are, and not see them as numbers only. I have tried to talk or at least have some kind of contact with every single person I connect with. A small private message can mean a lot to someone that you connect with because they can see that you didn’t invite them to connect just to gain something, but as an actual interest to connect with that specific person!

Usually, when I do connect with a person, I send them something like this:

“Hi, John,
Thank you for accepting my invitation to connect via LinkedIn.
It is a pleasure to connect with you.
Wishing you a wonderful day.
Kind regards,
Srdan K."

This is not an automated message or a message written just to sound good, I write every single one of them and I mean every single word. :))

Your way of networking is the same as your product or service. If you do it well and you mean it all the best, people will be more inclined to connect with you and of course, possibly do some work with you, too.

Albert Einstein once said - I speak to everyone in the same way, whether he is the garbage man or the president of the university!

I network to meet and greet people, to get to know them and of course to be able to help out with my knowledge and experience when they need it. I stopped attacking my connections with unnecessary stuff and being annoying, I started to share and show the achievements and experience of different companies I worked with, such as Digital Locker, Blackbeard Hosting, Blocworx and my own. And this approach works easier because people like to see what you can do and how. So do showcase your achievements, speak, reach out, network, connect and enjoy your time with people around you.

Regards,

Srdan KO