Are you maximizing the power of your relationships?

All of us have been given the gift of relationships with others.  Some of them are close friends, some best friends; some may be people that you know well, but that you don’t hang out with all the time. There may be some that are in your network of friends and acquaintances that you don’t know well. 

The bottom line is if you wrote down everyone you know there could be dozens, if not hundreds of names.

To get a job today, you need to know someone. To buy a car, you would rather buy from someone you know or someone that your friends know. If we are going to buy a house, get a mortgage, or find an accountant, we always want to use someone that we can get a reference on. Why? The answer is trust. 

84% of global consumers believe recommendations from friends and family are the most trustworthy sources of information about products (Nielson). We want to be able to trust those that are handling the important parts of our lives.  We want to know the people that service our cars, prepare our taxes and mow our lawns. It’s all about relationships.
 
When I look at my LinkedIn connections, all 1,124 of them, I see that I am surrounded with relationships with professionals that I can personally get a reference on from someone else I know. Almost everyone in my LinkedIn connections I have met or know personally. 

What if I started to count all the people I know on Facebook, Instagram, Google+, my church, my social clubs, my neighborhood, my high school or college? How many people would that represent? 

Have you ever thought about utilizing your network of relationships for the benefit of your current employer?  Do you know people that could be using the services provided by yourself, your boss or co-workers?  Could you tell others out there in the real world what your team does in 15 words or less?

HERE'S A CHALLENGE FOR THE WEEK:

Utilize these relationships you have been given as a gift and give yourself some job security by bringing in customers to the business you work for. 

Be a blessing to others and they will eventually be a blessing to you.