Go Where They Are...Touching Your Social Networks...

In a simpler time, I had everything about my contacts in Outlook.

My strategy is simple. At a minimum, a network contact will

  1. get an email from me with a brief update quarterly
  2. get a call from me on his/her birthday

Over time, as my network has expanded, it's become more and more difficult for me to keep up and keep the data clean.

While the advantages of a single source of data are clear, it's also self-centered--a bit.

I have contacts all over the place and, to some extent, I need to modify the way I relate to people by virtue of the choices they have made in terms of mega-social network or tool (FB, LinkedIn, Plaxo, etc.) And, I have to go where they are.

It's a bit more work, yes, but relationships are work.

And, if you take a page out of the Keith Ferrazi playbook, they are your biggest asset. So, wouldn't they be worth the investment?