Building the Value of YOUR Network...

At this point in our careers, we are well aware of the importance and value of our respective business networks. It’s no secret that a large part of our future success depends on our effectiveness in nurturing and growing our networks.

The question I’m struggling with now is: “what is the best way for any of us to add value to each person in our networks of contacts in a way that can scale up to address a (hopefully) ever-growing number of people?”

The evolving business network oriented sites like http://www.linkedin.com/, www.spoke.com and www.ryze.com seem to be one component of this strategy, but they don’t address the fundamental question. What part is “science” and what part is “art?” It’s great if you know who is in your network, but you need some way to gauge the value that you are delivering to each person based on their unique sets of requirements and expectations.

Companies that implement a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) strategy obviously face this, but on an individual level, we face this as well. And perhaps, we would expect more personal touches from individuals than large, faceless corporations. On the flip side, however, with time constraints facing all of us, the more you can automate, the lower your costs, but what are the trade-offs?

For a simple example, I use Outlook’s feature to record the birthdays and anniversaries of most people I know. Then, I either email or call them on that day. That’s some art, some science. In some cases, I use a template for a “Happy Birthday” email, some science there. But if the entire process were automated and I didn’t even know that it was your birthday and some script on the computer just generated the email, would that be sufficient? Do you care? People generally appreciate hearing from me (or so I am told) on their birthdays and it gives me an annual excuse/impetus to just check-in which I enjoy as well, but is this sufficient to fall under the category of adding value? Would you rather hear some idea that will help you professionally or get a call from me wishing you Happy Birthday?

In Love Is the Killer App: How to Win Business and Influence Friends Tim Sanders suggests that it is the process of sharing knowledge and idea to help your network learn and grow that adds value.

That may be true, but is a mass, but personalized email (using Outlook2003 and Word2003) the best forum for doing that? How do I really know what you’d like to learn or hear about? Should I have a comprehensive database that I search and contact when I finish a book like Jim Collins’ Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't, so I can write a mini book report and send it to those who are interested in management ideas and what turns competent companies into superior companies?

Perhaps I can set up a survey at www.surveymonkey.com to ask people, but then there is no easy way for me to track, sort, and communicate based on those responses, without investing a hell of a lot of time. Essentially, perhaps what I am suggesting is that the day is coming (has come) when each of us who are part of the knowledge economy will need to develop a personal Network Relationship Management strategy that will enable each of us to automate those elements that can be put into a process and keep enough room for the ‘Art,’ remembering that we’re dealing with real human beings on the other end of the line.

Looking forward to hearing from you on how we can answer this question.