There is nothing more valuable than family, friends and a professional network.

Professional networks, in fact, represent our extended business families and provide the support, knowledge base and contacts that assists us in our daily roles and working life.

The benefits of networking provide both sides with a win/win situation where your own contact base can be called upon to add value to your daily activities, just as you are a value-added resource to your contacts.

Working within the professional services arena is different from other commercial ventures. Professional services are a “people” environment where the assets of the business, the income generating “machinery”, are people. We do not generate fees from mechanical devices, from factory floors or from retail centres - we generate fees from building relationships with other people.

How we market our business, how we raise fees, how we solve operational issues - all require contact with people. It does not matter whether your firm’s clients are individuals or corporates, they are both made up of people in the end. As “word-of-mouth” referrals are our most powerful marketing tools/techniques, developing networks and relationships is important for lawyers and managers.

It is easier, quicker and more cost-beneficial to “know” the right individual in the right position to assist in problem solving or marketing strategies.

A professional network is like having a complete “Yellow Pages” of potential service providers at your fingertips, but more powerful as you have a relationship with the contact. It allows professional development to occur at little cost, and provides potential for your own business growth. It can be done in a structured or unstructured manner, providing not only commercial benefit, but personal gains as well.

Recently, I had cause to consider approaching the market, as I wished to fill several professional positions in my team.

Rather than consult organisations with whom I had no contact, I elected to utilise my network developed over the past five years.

This network provided immediate and trustworthy contacts that resulted in excellent referrals, productive meetings and outstanding results. The benefit was apparent, not only in achieving the desired result commercially, but by doing this in a manner that incurred no costs. There was no time wasted in meeting and defining our business, it was already known within the network group!

Networking is not easy. It requires a commitment of time and energy plus enthusiasm. It needs to be a regular activity, similar to professional training and real effort and thought is required as to how, when and with whom to network.

Networking can develop relationships that become more than purely professional. It is of great benefit, not to mention relaxing, to catch up with fellow professionals, organisations and firms, and discuss business in general and compare notes on how issues have been resolved.

There is no defined skill required to network successfully. All that is required is common interests, the desire to work with others, the ability to admit you need assistance and the ability to communicate and share experiences.

Everyone is different, everyone faces different problems, issues and operational concerns … all are more easily managed when we have access to, and support of, a professional network. It is often heartening, and also surprising to learn how often others have faced similar issues.

I encourage everyone to take the step of planning to develop relationships!

We plan our day’s tasks and activities, we plan our conferences, we plan our holidays, we also need to plan to network!

It is easy to cancel a function when we are too busy, or not go out for a drink after work if we are too tired … but these types of events are just as important to your business, your personal professional life and your value added contribution as any other commercial activity.

To my mind, a network is a major asset to any individual who has commercial responsibility and is required to make decisions. As managers, we coach our lawyers on how to network with clients so we should demonstrate that we can too.

Do not be afraid to build a network. The power of connecting can never be overstated.

Written by Michelle McLean