How Do You Build a Trusted Professional Network?

What’s the best way to cultivate a trusted professional network resulting in long-lasting and meaningful relationships?

Quick answer: Time + Value = Trust

Let’s break this down.

How do you build anything?

You construct something over a length of time. And to build a trusted network, you need to spend time developing it and consistently providing value to those in your spheres of influence. It’s not something that happens overnight! Your relationships need to be nurtured to grow into long-term connections that provide mutual valuable benefits.

How do you offer value?

You could comment on and share their most recent blog post. Or give advice on a project someone is working on. There are so many other ways you can do it too: be a good listener, be a mentor, or just be there for them in general.

Give help when you can, because something that is easy for you may be challenging for someone else, and your assistance will be considered extremely valuable.

Make it a habit to put aside a specific amount of time each day and focus only on improving your network. When doing so, be sure to get in the right mindset and concentrate on increasing your reliability and credibility.

You should always follow through on your promises and consistently demonstrate how others can depend and count on you; this will help people develop a level of trust with you.

How do earn trust?

Spending time with your contacts will certainly increase trust. Think about doing something together that you both enjoy, for example, do you share a hobby? This is a great way to get to know someone on another level. Or grab a meal—most people are in a good mood and thankful when food is involved.

Of course, this option may be limited in our current times, but there are many opportunities to carry out a meal-sharing or happy hour through video chats such as Zoom and other services.

You could also ask someone to volunteer with you for a cause you both believe in. When you do this, you’re giving back, being grateful, and spending quality time together. And this time together is well worth it!

Remember—a strong network that you build organically with people that you know, like, and trust is better than a great network filled with superficial people that can’t be counted on. As Stacey Brown Randall summed it up in her book Generating Business Referrals Without Asking: “In business, trust is the real currency and relationships are the economic driver.”

This article is featured in the AMSpirit Business Connections podcast Networking Rx: The Formula Of Trust (EPS 162) with Host Frank Agin

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This article originally appeared on Quora.