A Step by Step Plan to Build an Active Professional Network

We all know the power of having an active network of business contacts. but unfortunately building and growing that network can be a full-time task given the solutions available now.

Here are 4 observations:

Personal mobile numbers are not built for business. The only way to message multiple people simultaneously from your personal phone number is to create a group chat and frankly group chats will not work if the outreach is supposed to be one to one.
Mobile phones do not allow you to effectively create lists of contacts based on your relationship with them.
LinkedIn is an island of communications, information, and connections, built to make you stay in LinkedIn. What is the value of a connection if you can only reach them through LinkedIn? Most people are not using LinkedIn for everyday business communications.
The most powerful connections are people that you speak with and you meet (event virtually), not the people you are simply connected to. The value in your network come from quality not quantity. Ask anyone if they would rather have 100 LinkedIn connections or 10 vetted ones, and everyone will say 10.

So, after making these observations you must ask yourself, how do I overcome these items and take the steps to build a network without eating up my already limited time?

Here it is finally a guide to how you can use Tendant to build an active professional network. We recommend reading all the steps before you go out and sign up to get Tendant for free. Like everything you have done in your life, acting will require your time, however it will not require nearly as much time as you would use with the options you have now.

We will assume that you have Tendant on your phone, if you do not, please visit Tendant.com/grads and enter your email address. Someone will reach out to you about our special program for college graduates. We are giving college grads Tendant for free for the next 6 months to help them network and start their business career off properly.

Step 1: Import your contacts into Tendant.

From the home screen:

Tap Settings
Tap System Configuration
Tap Sync Phonebook (The time to complete this step varies based on the number of contacts you have.

Step 2: Learn How to Use Quick Send

By this point, you have imported all your personal contacts into Tendant. Now we are going to use Quick Send to introduce contacts that can be business contacts to Tendant.

Quick Send allows you send your vCard (Definition: also known as VCF “Virtual Contact File”, a vCard is a simple text file that contains basic contact details. A vCard makes it simple to add a contact into a phonebook on a mobile device.) to anyone quickly.

Anyone sent your vCard will be automatically added to a list in Tendant of all vCard recipients. Most importantly they will agree to receive bulk SMS from you before downloading your card. So, let us review this again.

What Happened

Benefit

Easily share your Tendant Business Number (TBN)

Getting people to know your Tendant Business Number

Recipients automatically added to a list (you can create as many lists as you like in Tendant. They are located under the Marketing icon on the home screen)

Create lists of business contacts, unlike you can do now.

Bulk SMS consent is captured. They can receive broadcast messages by SMS text message.

Message multiple people at once.

Now the contact has your TBN in their phonebook.

Separate business and personal

Here is how to use Quick Send.

From the home screen:

Tap Quick Send
Tap a contact
Then expand the Send vCard row using the arrow on the right.
Now you can see the message that will be sent to this contact
Tap Edit to customize the message or Tap send to deliver the message you see.

Step 3: What to Say

So now you have the platform to create an active business network…However

The number one issue in any type of outreach or marketing is always the message. What do I say, how do I say it, and what can I do to not bother people? Everyone at all levels experiences this so do not feel like you are alone. Even if you are too shy, sometimes you just need to hit send and start being proactive. Here are a few ideas of conversation starters you can use when sending your vCard.

Conversation Starters

Example

Tell them about your new number

Hello Joe, this is {{yourname}}, I have a new phone number for business I wanted to share with you. Please download my new vCard so you know this new number is me. Everything good with you?

Starting Your Career

Hi Joe, I just recently graduated, and I am starting my business career. I have a new phone number just for business. Could you download my vCard, so you know its me when I reach out in the future?

Be to the point

Hi, I am actively looking for a job in the “industry name” industry. Do you have any pointers for me?

Here are some more tips:

End the message with a question. People tend to reply to questions more often.

Always identify yourself

Offer something back, even if you cannot provide value, the fact you are offering yourself is a sign you will appreciate anything they do for you.

Respect their time, make sure if you do speak with the contact, to tell them you appreciate their time.

Do not give up, if someone does not reply after you send them your vCard. You can always go into their chat and send a quick follow up message.

Use personalization like including their name or something that shows them it is you.

If they message you on your personal number after you send the message. Reply on your personal number, then message them from Tendant.

Ask for advice, people respond better when they get compliments.

Step 4: Consistency

Initial Outreach: Having the Tendant platform available to you is only a benefit if you are going to use it. We recommend that you share your vCard with 3-5 people a day.

Follow Up: Create new lists based on when you want to follow up with people. For example, have a list for this week and then a list for next week. This way you can group people by when you reached out for easier follow up. Then you can use Tendant Broadcast to follow up with people, using the same message.

Step 5: Be Patient

You only need one job for Tendant to a be a success for you. Every contact you have is different with some being more receptive then others. If you stay consistent and reach out, someone will point you in the right direction. After you get that job, remember to keep using Tendant to keep the investment you have made in your network active.