"Your network is your net worth," as the saying goes. That is more true now than it has ever been. Keep in mind that there was a time when everything was done face to face.

And, in the past several years, we've become more used to meeting people online, through Zoom or whatever platform you like, rather than in person. Both have benefits since you're meeting people, but it's a bit more difficult to conduct face-to-face relationship marketing in today's atmosphere.

Today, I'd want to discuss relationship marketing. You must comprehend the principles of what it means to your company in order to be effective at it.

You're not simply employing a person when you hire a human, whether as a freelancer or as a firm. You're employing a person, as well as their network.

An experiment

I did something I hadn't done in almost five years recently. I boarded an aircraft. I haven't gone in a long time since many of the conferences and events I had planned to attend were canceled. But I just made a spur-of-the-moment vacation to Raleigh, North Carolina, which I had never visited before.

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So, what made me choose Raleigh? The first folks I met in person were a handful of members of an organization I was a part of called Pay It Forward Tuesdays.

Pay it forward

Chuck Hester, a marketing professional, was recommended to me by one of the authors with whom I worked. Chuck invited me to become a member of this community. The six of us in this group volunteer to spend an hour with a nonprofit executive to assist them improve their marketing, social media, and public relations skills.

We all bring unique abilities to the table, and these individuals may get up to six hours of training or teaching. They get access to our networks, which allows them to spread their messages more widely. It's not only a fantastic group to be a part of, but it's also fantastic to be able to assist a group of individuals that aid others.

It's all about the people...

That's what networking is all about: using your existing ties to assist others, whether it's to improve company outcomes or to solve an issue. I met with Chuck Hester and Lori Bruns, who are both members of that organization, when I traveled down to Raleigh.

We took a seat and ate our breakfast. It was fantastic. It was the first time I had ever met them in person. Other members of the group reside in Philadelphia and Florida. I'll do the same thing if I make it down there.

I also got the chance to sit down with Timmy, my son, and Ashley, his girlfriend. We also took a walking tour of downtown Raleigh. My kid received his favorite thing in the world, craft beers, visiting a couple of brewpubs. Then we went out to a couple other restaurants for supper. I was able to accompany them on a tour of the region.

Speaking of touring, Emily Smathers is another somebody I've never met in person. She is a virtual assistant who helps me write about very sophisticated pharmaceutical matters. She's a natural at it.

As a result, I took an Uber up to their residence. We went out for lunch and then had a tour of the whole region. I was able to experience life outside of the metropolis.

And, since we're on the subject of networking, someone I know in my neighborhood knew a realtor who knew many realtors in Raleigh. So I scheduled a meeting with them to learn more about the region and get a sense of what's going on in the market.

Resourceful

One of them called my number and bombarded me with information. "Hey, do you want to get together?" asked the other right away. Let's do it at 10:00 a.m. on Monday."

We met at Panera, sat down, and had a wonderful talk. The most significant difference between the two is that the first one spoke with me on the phone before sending me an email with a slew of postings. The second individual sat down and gave me her contacts in addition to listening to what I wanted.

She offered to put me in touch with individuals she knows, likes, and trusts, such as a mortgage broker, house inspector, contractors, attorneys, and anybody else I may need. It was fantastic. Which of the two persons do you believe impressed me the most? I'm sure you can figure it out.

Tribe

It's all based on a formula when it comes to relationship marketing for success. Each of us has around 150 high-quality connections.

When you consider those 150 connections, you'll see that they're individuals we know, like, and trust. People we'd feel comfortable suggesting, much like my friend did when she referred a realtor who recommended two realtors in Raleigh she knew, loved, and trusted.

She provided me two persons so that I could choose and select who I thought would best fit my requirements at this time.

When you consider that everyone has 150 excellent relationships with individuals they know, like, and trust, there's a good probability that each of them can multiply that by ten. If you can get out to those 150 individuals, they can spread your message to 1,500 others. And if you connect with those 1,500 individuals, there's a possibility they know 10, which means you may reach over 15,000 people from that core 150.

Boost the power of your tribe connections

Exploring other people's relationships online is some of the advice I want to provide you about how to make the most of this. Going to your customers and looking up their LinkedIn connections is one example of this. Take a look at who you have in common.

You could discover you have mutual connections you weren't aware of, or if they want to meet someone new, you can introduce them to someone you don't know. Second, repeat the process in person. Inviting someone to meet in person and asking who they'd want to meet is a great way to start, and be sure to reciprocate.

However, offer quality personnel rather than numbers. You'll want to make sure they meet someone who can assist them.

Finally, if you have a sales staff, make sure they are communicating with current and previous clients. Consider that for a moment. If they have 150 high-quality relationships with current and former consumers, your message will be amplified by 1,500 times. And if they're encouraged to share, you've now reached a potential audience of 15,000 people.

I'm going to recommend that you go back and listen to Bacon Podcast Episode 438. There, I discuss my 10-10-10 technique and how it can be used to boost your connections and marketing messaging.

Last thoughts

We created know, like, and trust by jumping on a plane and visiting with individuals I knew but had never met in person, and I can help them expand their network, and they can surely help me expand mine. Consider how you can use your existing network to create a larger one where everyone can succeed. That's what I call relationship marketing!

I'd want to hear what you have to say about your relationship marketing system. Share your views, suggestions, or questions regarding interacting with people and their network in the comments section below.

Thanks to Brian Basilico at Business 2 Community whose reporting provided the original basis for this story.