Statistically speaking, successful professionals have broad networks of contacts and connections that help them serve their clients, build up their portfolios, grow their businesses and strengthen their reputation.
Of course it’s important what you know – but it is also important who you know. The same goes for accountants, if even not in a higher degree than for some other industries. On the other side, having a good and broad professional network is highly useful, but it will not help if you’re not a skilled professional and an expert within your field. However, there are many skilled accountants who are in a career disadvantage as they don’t have networking skills or network to boost their success.
For some of us, this is the most natural thing – there are people who are born to be social, make new contacts and keep in touch. For some of us, it’s not that easy. Luckily, as many other things and skills in life, this is something that you can learn and practice until you’re very good at it. To help you improve in this field, we’ve listed 2 important tips for accountants who want to network better. Remember – practice makes perfect.
#1 Forget About the Distance
Back in the days, everyone would focus on their local community – as this is where most business would happen. It was important to build your network in your city or region, as this is where you find the people you will interact the most. However, nowadays you can be a marketer in Spain and have meaningful connections from Hong Kong to Los Angeles. Before, you would meet people at a conference or a local business group – now you can meet your colleagues, clients and other contacts from all over the world in a few clicks!
As new technologies make it possible to also work remotely, you don’t even need to be on the same continent with your clients. CollaboraZon helps you cooperate across the borders and time zones, with intuitive design and numerous functions like events, file sharing, notes, comments and more. We have even made a guide to collaborating remotely.
#2 Don’t Be Focused Only on Yourself
As with most things in life, a good networking has to be based on mutual benefits and all parties need to be happy. If you’re only focused on your personal gain, people wouldn’t be interested in connecting with you. However, if you are helpful and trustworthy, that will boost your business as well, as you will certainly gain more clients and better reputation by contributing to the community with your knowledge, contacts and skills.