In Part I, we talked about how it’s a good idea to share with your staff about how your firm secures its clients (by diagramming the network of people involved).
Because the economy remains questionable, it’s an exceptionally good time to revisit the contacts of your staff members, from all sources and walks of life. In the article Mining Personal Networks; All-hands-on-deck approach in a fluctuating economy., you’ll see step-by-step tips on how to go through this process. Step One is inserted here in this post.
Step One: Ask each staff member to prepare a list of ten or more contacts with whom they have a relationship. There is a wealth of opportunity when they dig into their past lives: former clients; contractors/developers; industry-related vendors; former employers or professional colleagues; university and high school alumni associations; civic, social, and spiritual groups; etc. In an adjacent column, have them rank each relationship (hot, warm, cool) based upon: 1. comfort level in contacting the person; 2. likelihood that their outreach will be welcomed and returned.
Please do feel free to share with me (directly or through a public comment) how well this works for your own firm, and/or if you are willing to share additional ideas for tapping into the networks of your staff.
