Richard Branson on How to Make The Most of Your Network

Editor's Note: Entrepreneur Richard Branson regularly shares his business experience and advice with readers. Ask him a question and your query might be the inspiration for a future column.
Q: How much of an impact does a really effective networker have on a company's success? Does it ever make sense to hire someone whose only function is to make connections internally and externally? - Christine Rozman, Entrepreneur reader

Succeeding in business is all about making connections. While we at the Virgin Group have never hired anybody whose job description was limited to making internal and external contacts, it is implicit that almost everyone on staff has these skills. This has helped Virgin to expand into so many different industries, from music to mobile phone services: As we build connections in other areas, we have been able to grow our expertise and multiply our reach.
For an entrepreneur, the ability to forge connections is a great asset. When you're conducting business in a field where you don't have specialist expertise, it's often the only way to get a job done right. When our team at Virgin wanted to go to space, I looked for the best engineer in the world to help us build a spaceship. Once we'd connected with Burt Rutan, creator of the revolutionary SpaceShipOne, we were able to get to work on creating Virgin Galactic.
I was thinking about your question in October, as we celebrated the 40th anniversary of the launch of Virgin Records -- time flies when you're having fun! We got the original gang back together and went for a tour of all our old haunts in London. It brought us back to the heady days in the '70s when Nik Powell was planning Virgin Records' expansion into retail, Simon Draper was out scouting the coolest new bands, Tom Newman was experimenting with new recording techniques and I was busily marketing our brand.

During the tour, we visited the church crypt that we used as an office for Student Magazine, the houseboat my family and I had lived on, and Virgin's original head office in Notting Hill. We wound it up at an exhibition, "Virgin Records: 40 Years of Disruptions," at Victoria House, where we celebrated in style. It retrospect, it was interesting how close the tour locations were -- in those whirlwind first years, we quickly built a creative community where lots of like-minded people lived and worked. Those connections benefited everyone involved, in the same way that the networks in Silicon Valley and London's Tech City have promoted innovation.
My three friends and I have had our fair share of arguments over the past four decades, as people will -- especially when they're running a global business together. But we all went on to work on different projects, and we were always ready to shake hands again. I'm delighted that we're still so close. Our celebration gave us a chance to renew those friendships and make new connections: Everyone is still full of ideas and working on various new ventures, and as we spent time together, we came up with more plans, as always.
That got me thinking about how important networking is for entrepreneurs, and how to encourage people to network. It's all about personal contact. No matter how heavy your workload is, do not allow yourself to work in your cubicle or office all day, every day -- for your own well-being and the health of your business, you need to get out and about, meeting people and developing relationships. If you discuss a work matter with an employee or a potential client over coffee rather than simply sending over an email, you're more likely to build rapport, which will be useful if you ever need to tackle any problems together. Good managers give their teams the freedom to set their own schedules, realizing that the same is true of employees' relationships with their co-workers and the company's clients.
That said, you can also make great connections while sitting at your desk. Through social media, you can get in touch with almost anyone, and then connect in the real world as well. Just recently, a 12-year-old business studies student sent me an email asking for some tips, and I spotted her note and wrote back. These days, the only thing stopping you from building up your network is how much time you dedicate to it. Everyone can and should be a networker.
Those good connections will breed more good connections. In the end, it all comes down to talking to people. Track down people you would love to work with and start sharing your ideas. You'll soon discover that you have found some great partners -- and more importantly, some great friends.

6 Easy Steps to Being a Master Networker All of the Time

When there’s only so much time in the day, it’s easy to overlook the value of building and maintaining your professional relationships. But being stressed and busy is no excuse. Relationships take effort, of course, but throughout my career, I’ve constantly been reminded that my success is dependent on the strength of my network. You really can’t do it all alone!
Thankfully, I’ve discovered that the simplest tricks -- tricks you’ve heard before, but aren’t truly putting into practice -- have an enormous impact on relationship building. They don’t take a lot of effort, but they do take commitment. That said, even taking these six simple steps can help you prioritize relationships in your life almost immediately.
1. Remember names. Names have power. We’re all impressed when someone remembers our name, because it makes us feel important and worth remembering. Make an effort to cultivate that feeling in others. To help yourself remember, repeat someone’s name multiple times over the course of your conversation. Don’t be afraid to ask someone to repeat his or her name. And if you have forgotten a name, cop up to it. Asking to be reminded still shows you care.

2. Give people your undivided attention. Look people straight in the eye. Yes, it’s intimate but don’t shy away from that. Making good eye contact demonstrates interest. It will also make you appear confident and charming. Do not let yourself be distracted by other people or whatever else is going on around you. And definitely do not look at your phone. Making someone feel like the most important person in the room when you’re talking to them can go a long way in building your relationship.
3. Don't interrupt. There is no easier way to get people to like and respect you than to listen intently. We all love sharing our own points of view. It’s much harder to simply shut up and let someone express himself. When you let people speak without interruption, they will become more and more comfortable with you. Without having said anything, you’ll put them at ease. I’ve found  this advice especially beneficial during negotiations and when trying to help employees or colleagues reach their full potential. Often, people just want to be heard. And they feel much happier after they have.
4. Ask questions. Start asking more questions. Asking questions demonstrates sincerity. If you meet someone who is quiet or having a hard time articulating his thoughts, ask him a question. Not too personal of a question, of course. But if you’re having trouble making conversation, start asking questions and you'll be surprise how talkative people can get.
5. Smile. It’s the number one thing you can do to put someone at ease. When someone smiles at you, you pause, right? It can even be disarming -- in a good way. Smiling does not come easily to everyone. You may need to practice. I’ve given many speeches and found that spending a few seconds simply smiling calmly at the podium before I get started helps put my audience at ease and get them on my side. It’s pretty remarkable how much power this very simple action holds.
6. Follow up. If you say you’re going to follow up, do. Actually, I think that always following up is a good practice. Again, this is a very simple thing, which actually can have a lot of power. You’ll be remembered as thoughtful and caring. Don’t let too much time pass before getting in touch.
Thesesix strategies add up. If you use all of them, you will leave a lasting, great impression. That is pretty priceless. You can use these simple tips anywhere from a dinner party to a business meeting. If you do, I bet people will increasingly listen to you, look up to you, respect you and even follow you.

3 Questions You Should Be Asking Your Clients

Andrew Sobel, a New York City-based consultant and author who specializes in building client relationships, believes that asking a series of "power questions" will enhance your existing relationship and strengthen it for the future. "Power questions shift the conversation to the other person, as opposed to you just talking about your products and services," says Sobel, co-author with Jerold Panas of Power Questions: Build Relationships, Win New Business and Influence Others.
Here are three such queries to get your next client conversation started.

• What have we done recently that you found particularly valuable?
• Can you give me suggestions for improving communication with you and your organization?
• What are your three most important priorities for next year?

"All good relationships are based on the other person's priorities," Sobel says. "If I don't know those, I don't know how to help."