Many careers depend on having good business connections. This is particularly so as more and more people work as freelance contractors. Building a strong network is becoming increasingly important for professionals in every sector. Your network can help you to:
 
- Identify new business leads
- Publicize your products or services
- Build your professional knowledge
- Come up with and refine ideas
- Find new job opportunities 

This illustration shows how to gain a new contacts and build your network one person at a time.

REACH OUT TO AN EXISTING CONTACT
The best approach is to start with the people you know already. When you first enter the workforce, ask any family members or friends who work in a relevant field, or people you know from university, to help you start building your network. Or, contact professionals via social media, websites and email, explaining your passion for the area and offering your services for free in return for work experience. You just need to gain a few initial contacts, and then expand your network from there. If you obtain some paid work, ask your colleagues to suggest other people you could meet.
 
ASK FOR AN INTRODUCTION
Always ask for an introduction. If you approach someone you don’t know without an introduction, you might get lucky, but ninety-nine times out of a hundred, they’ll ignore you. Just ask a contact to drop the person a line in advance, ask if it’d be OK for you to get in touch with them and explain why. Once you’ve got the green light, it’s up to you to make a good impression.
 
BE FRIENDLY, CURIOUS AND HELPFUL
Section 6.3 describes in detail how to build rapport and trust, but applying a few basic principles will make a big difference. Business relationships work in the same way as any other relationship. If you’re friendly, curious about the other person (see Section 2.3), honest and keep your promises, you’re off to a great start. Ask how you might be able to help them, such as providing an introduction to others. Before the end of the meeting, invite them to get in touch with you at any time if they think you might be of service. It helps to be generous to the other person without expecting anything in return. In fact, they’ll probably want to return the favour at some point due the reciprocity principle - the psychological norm of responding to a positive action with another positive action. After the meeting, find something to share with them that you think they’ll find useful or might enjoy. It doesn’t have to be business related; perhaps send a restaurant recommendation, a book or movie suggestion, or something associated with a personal interest they hinted at.
 
If you do these things as a matter of course, your network will expand rapidly, with each new contact potentially leading to several more contacts. Some recommendations will lead to a dead end, and don’t expect to get on well with everyone you meet, but if you adopt this approach throughout your career you’ll create a large and valuable network.