社交是门技术活：6招教你玩转人际网

No one can get ahead in life all by themselves. Everyone needs help from some other person at one time or another. The phrase, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know, ” holds true now more than ever.

生活中没有人可以单枪匹马收获成功。别人的帮助是你前进的阶梯。“重要的不是你的学识，而是你认识什么样的人，” 这句话更适合于当今社会。

The beautiful thing about networking is that it works both ways; it is a give-take relationship. If you help somebody, they will have no trouble repaying the favour.

社交网络最好的特点在于双向性，它是给予和获得的关系。如果你帮助他人，他们也会同样报答你。

If you have never networked before, networking can at first seem intimidating but over time you will soon be networking like a pro.

如果你还从来没有社交过，开始时可能会无从下手，但是用不了多久，你就会像行家一样游刃有余。

1. Get out there

走出去

If people have no idea who you are, then you will have an incredibly hard time building relationships. Many people are so focused on their workload that they forget to network.

如果人们不知道你是何许人也，建立社交网络将难于登天。许多人仅把精力放在工作上而忽略了交际。

You must get out there; actively seek out people to network with. Go to events in your field and start striking up conversations and handing people your business card.

你必须走出去，主动与人交往。参加你熟悉领域内的活动，与人攀谈，并呈上你的名片。

2. Trust

信任

During hard times, a client will leave you but a friend will stick by you. You must cultivate real, deep meaning trustworthy relationships to take full advantage of networking. This might not happen with your first impression but if you put the effort in to get to know people then they will have no trouble trusting you. A great way to build trust is to try connecting with the person on a personal level as well on a business level.

困难时刻，顾客弃你而去，朋友却守候身旁。你必须培养真正的、深厚并值得依赖的关系，充分利用社交网络的优势。想要首次露面就有此斩获可能不太可能，但如果你付出努力，与朋友坦诚相见，他们将会甩掉顾虑去信任你。建立信任的有力手段就是尝试从个人层面和商业层面同时做铺垫。

3. Diversify

扩大范围

If you only know people in your industry or social group then you are limiting yourself. Having a diverse network maximises your chances of knowing “connectors, ” those people who can put you in touch with people who you would never have otherwise met.

如果你仅在自己行业或社会群体范围内交往，那会很局限。扩大交际范围将最大程度地增加你结识中间人的机会，那些“桥梁”可以帮助你联系到靠自己绝对联系不到的人。

4. Maintain

维护

Your networking efforts will be useless unless you maintain the relationships. Maintaining relationships is easy: make a phone call, send a thank you note, send an interesting article, put someone’s link on your website, remember their birthday etc. Technology makes maintaining relationships as easy as possible, so there is no excuse not to.

如果不维护，你为交际付出的努力将付之流水。维护关系很容易：打个电话，寄一封感谢函，发一篇有趣的文章，在你的网站上加入某人的链接，记住他们的生日等等。科技使社交网络维护简单易行，所以根本没有借口不去维护既有的关系网。

5. Give back

回馈

“Successful networking is never about simply getting what you want. It’s about getting what you want and making sure that people who are important to you get what they want, too.”

成功的社交网络绝不是简单的索取，而是取你所需，并确保对你重要的人也各取所需。

No one likes to constantly give, give, give, without receiving anything in return. Networking is so effective due to the premise, what can we do for each other.

没有人愿意一味的付出而得不到任何回报。社交网络的有效性的前提，就是我们能为对方做什么。

6. Don’t worry if you lose touch

不要担心失去联系

Losing touch with a contact is by no means the end of the relationship. Simply send an email, or call them, and say that you want to rekindle the relationship. However, it is wise not to call them out of the blue just to ask for a favour. First successfully rekindle the relationship and then naturally ask for the favour you want.Of course, the best way to not lose touch is to always work at maintaining your network.

与朋友失去联系决不是关系的结束。发封邮件，或拨个电话告诉他们你希望再续前缘。然而在心情不好时打电话求助是不明智的。首先要成功地与朋友再次连线，接下来再顺理成章地请求朋友给予帮助。当然，不失去联系的最好方法是经常性地维护你的社交网络。