John Cave

Networking is fundamental to business. Many people don’t realise they are doing it, but they are. If you have clients referred to you by other people, you can call it networking, but it is only when you are aware of its importance and start networking pro-actively that you can see your “ROR” (Return on Relationships, as my good friend Rory Murray coined it..!)

From getting recommended suppliers, to strategically targeting an organisation and ‘networking’ your way in, it is one of the most powerful skills to develop in business. You cannot survive on your own; you must have a strong network to support you.

It is difficult to say. I am now good friends with a very influential person in the Manufacturing sector through an organised network. He actually writes government strategy for the sector. I have also made some excellent connections in some major automotive and Paper manufacturers in India, the head of freight for the Indian rail authority (the largest employer in the world!), the British Consul General for Canada, The Canadian High Commissioner to the UK, the Head of Trade finance in the Midlands for HSBC and many others who are at the top of their game in diverse sectors such as construction, telecoms, consultancy, banking, IT and retail.

In terms of connections that I have made for other people, I connected a telesales organisation to a customer that doubled their size within weeks, a number of customers to suppliers in India and China (with the added bonus of us carrying the freight..!) another customer to a friend of mine who is working to sell their product in UAE and many, many others.

A good connection takes time, but when you have made one it is vital to keep the relationship going through regular contact.

Be yourself and be relaxed. If you are trying too hard, it is difficult to connect. Depending on the circumstances, forget business and get to know the person a bit, go out for a coffee and a chat and invariably the conversation will get round to “so, what can we do for each other?”

Other than email and picking up the phone, I use ecademy.com a lot to maintain contacts and have a number of industry and interest groups on there I am involved in, this helps me keep in touch with groups of people at a time. I am also heavily involved in a number of networking organisations like the British American Business Council, The Anglo-French Chamber of Commerce & Ecademy Blackstar (to name a few!) that organise face to face networking events that help me to keep in touch with people, and make new contacts.

My network crosses many sectors in many countries. I have as many contacts in the USA, India and China as I do in the UK.