Covve’s collaboration with Mo Bunnell, business growth expert and best-selling author including, The Snowball System, brings you a five-part masterclass series on creating a reliable and resourceful network that can give your business the boost it needs. In this exciting journey, Mo explores the impact of relationships on fostering business growth and provides you with practical insights to enhance your business endeavors.
Commencing the series, Mo expresses, “A great deal might make your year, but a great relationship can make your entire career.” When you prioritize building meaningful connections, you create a powerful network of support, collaboration, and opportunity. Strong bonds pave the way for partnerships, referrals, and valuable insights that can catapult your business forward.
To begin networking, it is paramount for you to overcome your complacency to meet others and build a knack for relationship building. As Mo highlights, it is not an innate talent but a learnable skill. He cites Dr. K Anders Ericsson, the renowned expert on expertise, who demonstrated that any complex skill can be learned and earned. In this sense, anyone can become proficient in building strong and meaningful connections, all it takes is a nudge in the right direction.
Further supporting this notion, Mo references Adam Grant’s book “Give and Take,” where Grant found that mutually beneficial relationships are the most successful. His research revealed that extroverts aren’t necessarily the best at relationship building, but have a great capacity to excel in networking skills. Whether you are extroverted or not, each personality type has its strengths and weaknesses when it comes to forging lasting connections.
Whether you are experienced or new to the benefits of networking, Mo introduces a framework to guide you on your relationship-building journey, comprising three distinct approaches – sporadic, sprint, and systems thinking.
Sporadic thinking involves haphazardly remembering to catch up with people without a systematic approach. While it may seem better than leaving relationships to chance, Mo stresses that sporadic thinking is better than nothing, but it is far from optimal.
The next approach is sprint thinking, which involves setting short-term goals, such as attending conferences or seeking referrals within a specific period. While sprinting demonstrates more intentionality, it falls short due to its time-limited nature. The key lies in embracing systems thinking.
Systems thinking, as Mo asserts, is the path to victory in relationship building. It entails adopting a long-term, consistent, and proactive approach. This mindset involves committing to attending a set number of conferences each year or regularly reaching out to contacts through emails or other means. By implementing systems thinking, you can create a structure that ensures continuous relationship nurturing, regardless of external circumstances.
Making an effort to get out and connect is just the beginning of a relationship-building journey. To enhance the results and processes of this lifelong journey, Mo suggests embracing the transformative impact of technology in supporting, maintaining, and building a network. Utilizing tools like the Covve app can serve as a powerful ally by setting reminders, organizing contacts, and taking notes on important interactions.
For those who exercise sporadic networking habits, prepare to abandon this approach. As Mo suggests, there are more efficient systems to boost your relationship-building habits. For those currently sprinting, challenge yourselves further by embracing a systems mindset. The subsequent installments will provide practical strategies for implementing systems thinking in relationship building, ensuring both personal and client success.
Watch the first episode to find out more. Additionally, you can join Mo’s free course, The Relationship Advantage, for a deeper dive into forging fruitful relationships.
Updated on 31 Jan 2024.
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