Create an Entourage to Network More Effectively

In Link Out: How to Turn Your Network into a Chain  of Lasting Connections, author Leslie Grossman urges business networkers to assemble a mutual fan club or entourage. As Grossman states, an entourage “helps its members achieve their goals, get the jobs and clients they want, move up the ranks in the corporate world, and start and build businesses, all by providing constant mutual support”.

Unlike your network, your entourage should be made up of people you trust and can rely upon. Many of us may have the beginnings of such a group already, an informal board of directors so to speak. A diverse group of intelligent, connected, and confident individuals from various walks of life likely works best. Many will come about through extended face-time at seminar and conferences (if they’re not friends already). Some will may even be competitors from the same industry (don’t overlook the benefits of cooperation & partnership).

In order to attract/recruit an entourage, Grossman suggests creating a personal vision statement which can be adapted into a sentence or two for sharing. When you meet a potential entourage member, determine if you're impressed by their work and interested in any of their activities. Likewise, its advisable to ascertain what type of associations they're involved in and who they regularly relate with.

Once assembled, it's important to follow thru on a give-to-get philosophy. That is, making “the goals of your entourage more important than your own”.  Obviously, when you help people achieve their own goals, they’re more willing to help you achieve yours. Yes, easier said than done but such moves are golden. They strengthen long-term relationships and serve to inspire word-of-mouth referrals.  As Grossman states, “giving back to your entourage and to others outside your entourage is a way for people to collaborate on behalf of one another’s success”.