It is clear to me, however, that this is an intention when I build a real relationship with someone in one of my networks.  There are several levels of relationship in networking, and I discuss these in other blogs and articles.  The relationship required to spread the word about someone does not have to be a deep one.  It is built on reputation – on what others say about that person, on what you felt about them when you met, on their credibility.  It can take a long time to build or almost no time at all.

We need to feel, hear and see certain things before we actively promote someone in our networks, and for each of us these will be different.  For me it boils down to credibility:

1) Do I hear great things about you from those I respect?
2) Do you walk-the-talk – or just deliver a good pitch?
3) Are you consistent with your efforts and delivery of promises?
4) Do you listen more than you talk? And I mean really listen.
5) Do I like you?

The great thing is I love talking about people I care about; I enjoy solving problems and they often offer the solution; I love connecting people and watching them create opportunities together; I relish the reputation as a great connector and every new, fabulous connection I make builds that reputation.  Talk about a win-win.

Think about the people in your networks who don’t yet know each other.  How could you impact their business by connecting them?  Bringing joy into their day is enough of a reason – business needs to be fun and working with great people helps.  Who knows where it could lead – I received a Thank You card this morning, for a connection that has resulted in a £35,000 contract. That’s what I call Effective Networking.