The common mistake, and the point of frequent frustration is, most people don't make an effort to make contacts until they have an immediate, short-term objective (i.e. they need a job.)

Building contacts, or collecting names and phone numbers, theoretically takes a few simple steps. Building relationships requires more than passing and collecting business cards. It isn't the occasional phone call, the holiday greeting card, or remembering names of family members you never met.

Building relationships takes more time and requires more work. And you cannot possibly build as many deep, lasting relationships in your life, as you may be able to cram names into your address book. Yet, one good friend is often worth more than dozens of names of people whom you barely know and have little in common.

In essence, we are speaking of quality over quantity. It is an old theme, to be sure. But it is also valid. Before we talk more about building relationships, let's talk about the dynamics involved in building contacts: the most visible and elementary part of networking.

Building Contacts

In his book Sharkproof, author Harvey Mackay says that to build contacts, you start with who you know. If you belong to a club or fraternity, every member, nationwide, is a contact worth calling. He says that you should collect five contacts a day.

Well, that's possible, but it's tough. When you are going to call a complete stranger who is busy and ask them for their time, you had better have a strong means of linking yourself to them. You might belong to a common professional organization. But your involvement in that organization may be much stronger than theirs. You volunteer, you go to the meetings, and you even help plan them.

Other members may not be as involved, nor do they feel the ownership. They may only belong because their employer requires it. You don't know. So, don't be surprised if you call upon a fellow member, and their response is, �All right, we are both members. So what?�

Usually, though, the strongest connection is another human being, also known as a referral.

One of the most common processes used in networking is what we call the informational interview. It is a simple meeting between two or more individuals to share information, insights, opinions, advice, and names.

In my time being unemployed, I went on countless informational interviews, far more so than actual job interviews. As with any meeting,

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