Deepening Networking Through Relationships with Christine Sotmary M.S., L.Ac., CPC
I learned back in the early 1970's that moving to a new place and starting all over again was no fun unless I was able to quickly make friends. Sometimes I would feel comfortable socializing with my co-workers and sometimes my interests would lead me to new contacts like the time I joined a women's softball team and was surprised to meet musicians and theater buffs like myself.
When I moved to
That's when I met Barb Bodnar. We were at a local jam session, she was in the audience and I was playing jazz bass. I had taken Alan, my partner, with me and he was happily enjoying the music, sitting in the audience next to Barb. When I sat down, little did I know how much my life was about to change. As Barb and I began talking and I described a little about myself, she immediately had suggestions, referrals and offered more support than I ever imagined could come from one person. She recommended networking groups for my businesses and Rotary for my need to find a connection to my community. She knew everyone in town and whenever I mentioned something I might need, she had a name and a phone number ready for me.
Fast forward to 3 years later. My sweetie has left this planet and now Barb and I are fast friends. We network like crazy locally at live meetings, BNI breakfasts, Chamber events, or more recently online with social networking groups.
She is a residential real estate broker and has many wonderful, qualified people that she works closely with: stagers, inspectors, lawyers, mortgage brokers, bankers and the list goes on. She is always the first to volunteer to chair a committee for the Peekskill Rotary and is planning the club’s 90th Anniversary celebration.
I recently asked Barb for her ideas about networking and relationship building as they relate to her business and social life and this is what she said.
Barb's rules
· Relationships underpin who we are, whether they be with family, friends, work associates, mates. They require nurturing and will change over time.
· All kinds of relationships offer the opportunity to network. This is why it is important not to dismiss how a friend, or family member, for example, can further your goals.
· Don’t dismiss the opportunity to network for fear that it will be interpreted as seeking personal gain. Give first without expecting to receive and it will come back ten fold.
· Fruitful networking is not about how many people you know but the quality of your “database.” What’s important is the ability to individualize those contacts, bearing in mind who might be helpful to you and in what way.
· Be open to business relationships blossoming into personal friendships.
· When “our cards are right” we do business with people whom we’ve learned to trust. We can then feel confident they will treat our referrals respectfully and reflect well on us.
Barb is a busy gal around town, is completely plugged in to modern technology and still finds time to meet with people for social events. She told me this story to illustrate how her networking with friends has come back and supported her in her business.
Some years ago, she was having dinner with an attorney friend who was also a client. Her friend introduced her to a man who was a commercial broker, appraiser and a property manager. Barb, a residential real estate agent, and her new acquaintance became friends over the next several years.
As the friendship grew, her new friend began to refer residential business to her. Depending on the situation, Barbara would work with the new client on her own, or she and her broker friend would share the referral. One cooperative venture resulted in the sale of 8 units for one client followed by another 6 with a referral for the initial attorney. Both friends were pleased.
Today, their friendship and their business relationship endure because it is one based on trust, integrity and good will.
Like Barb, I have been able to leverage many of my relationships into clients for my businesses. Earning their trust and showing my interest in what I can do for them comes first. A licensed acupuncturist, I have been able to help many stressed out friends with acupuncture when they start to feel overwhelmed. Others feel exhausted all the time and might need to know what foods to eat. That's when I'll do my Metabolic Testing. Still other busy networkers I encounter need help with time management in their work lives so and we'll do some Life Coaching to find some balance in their lives.
I recently wrote a memoir, "Living On the Verge of Insanity: loving lessons learned from my sweetie's early-onset Alzheimer's disease," and sent it to the printer. I was able to send announcements to people I have built relationships with over the years and the orders are already coming in. I am now focusing on coaching and talking with caregivers who need to be inspired to receive as much as they give including our utmost respect. More on that in the coming months.
One of my important rules is that I am never too busy for a conversation or a chance to meet a friend. I consider relationship building the top of my to do list.
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Barb can be reached at:
Barbara Bodnar, Associate Broker CRS SRES GRI ABR
ColdwellBanker Residential Brokerage
914-649.2018
"Real Estate with Heart"
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1 comment:
Christine -
What your article describes is a person who connects with others without judgment. I have found all too often in my life, those that will "write off" people based upon the folks they "think" that person knows, despite whether or not there is something else in common (like, in your story, music being the common denominator). The truly effective networkers will connect with those with whom there is any type of connection that can be built upon and then let things develop over time.
Kudos to you on sharing this story and accentuating what actually works.
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