Regular A-Z reader, Tanya Wheway put together a bonus set of ‘R’s for our A-Z of Networking.

Ready
As the song goes ‘Ready, Willing and Able’ (Alma Cogan early 60’s)! Be ready to seize opportunities, ready to respond to a light knock on the door. In my day the Girl Guide Motto was ‘Always be prepared’… maybe it is still the same today.

Ripe
Timing is often very important…. Sometimes it is too soon and other times too late – have your eyes wide open to see things when they are ripe for the picking.

R is also for…

Respect
Respect yourself and all those you come into contact with. Courtesy and good manners, being a good listener, thoughtfulness and empathy are essential in building a good business relationship. Self-respect is equally important; ‘We teach people how to treat us’, Phil McGraw.

Rituals, Ruts and Routines
The right type of rituals, in the right place at the right time can have a positive effect on our lives, but beware of ruts and routines; they can zap our energy, kill our creative juices and make us old before our time.

Reflection
Give yourself some time to reflect, to see things more clearly or get things into perspective, to clear your mind and work out priorities, to recognise when is a time to act or even a time to let go and move on.

Rust
Better to wear out than to rust out…. keep active physically and mentally – keep the little grey cells moving (as Poirot would say) and get the creative juices flowing.

Risk / Rejection
Those who are prepared to take risks (albeit calculated risks) stand to gain much more: ‘Those who do not go beyond their perceived limits should not complain about the mediocrity of their existence!’

Reward
Creative, thoughtful and effective networking can not only help you build your business, but it can lead to rewarding relationships, experiences and achievements.

Repeat and Referral Business
This can be the most cost and time effective way to build a business – a satisfied client becoming a loyal, long-term customer as well as being an ambassador for your products or services.

Records
Put efficient, effective record systems in place and see they are fully utilised.

Rapid
Strike whilst the iron is hot! Very fast responses can be extremely impressive and be the clincher.

Review
We live in a fast changing world and we regularly need to ‘review the situation’ – to do things a little or a lot differently if we are to continue getting good results.

Repetitive
To get results we sometimes need to ask more than once or repeat our message.

Recognition
Look for ways to compliment people and show you value you them and what they do.

Thanks to Tanya for all of your hard work and enthusiasm in putting together an excellent addition to our A-Z.