It is always a great day when I find myself in a position where with a little of my time and energy I am able to have a profound impact on someone’s business and financial future. While many of you reading this have a profound respect and admiration for the impact that social media can have on your business, there are countless numbers that have not been so blessed.

On the other side of that coin, called networking, I tend to forget that there a large number of people that are not as blessed as I to live in an area where there are so many great opportunities to network in person. On any given day I am able to participate in local Rainmakers networking meetings that are packed with business professionals looking for strategic relationships.

For the benefit of those that do not live in Indiana, Rainmakers is a business networking organization that provides a platform for business professionals to be more and serve more. We view networking as a chance to find a relationship that will bring you a stream of business rather than a one-time sale. Our focus is on long-term strategic relationships.

Rainmakers is based on the idea of “givers gain”. Rather than passively passing leads, Rainmakers actively prospect for each other. By working with other Rainmakers we are able to offer our customers solutions that are larger in scope. We become strategic advisors to our current customers while at the same time we pick up additional customers and/or business contacts from other Rainmakers.

Rainmaker, being nearly 1500 members strong, is a great organization for building those strong relationships. However, think about the vast numbers of networkers that you are able to connect with vi the Internet and the numerous social media channels available to you at any time. With 32+ events around central Indiana during any given month, with up to 300 members present, that is an incredible opportunity for networking and building relationships.

Compare those numbers with the number of business professionals that I connect with on a daily basis via sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc and you begin to realize that at any given moment via the Internet you may be connecting with thousands of prospects. Having just finished a conversation on this subject with a fellow Rainmaker, I felt compelled to recap some of that conversation here.

Again as many of you may have heard me say in the past, social media and sites like Facebook are not a magic bullet. If you can’t network in person, won’t take the time to build relationships with those that you connect with and try to sell everyone that you meet, before understanding their needs and desires, you will not experience success via social media. This applies to all businesses. The thing that strikes me as being so odd is that I have never seen a business that could prosper without building relationships. However, Network Marketing (or Multi-Level Marketing) is one of the few industries that the business model focuses on this concept as the very foundation.

If you expect to experience prosperity in the Network Marketing Industry, it is so very important that you understand the need for personal development. Learn the following skills: Networking, Sales, Leadership, Communication (Listen More, Less Talking) and continue to improve throughout your career.

For any of you that have a background in sales you have heard the term, “The fortune is in the follow up”. The same applies to social media. If you go to anyone of the multitude of social media sites available, create an account, connect with a lot of people and then never follow up or touch base with them, they become nothing more than a list of cold contacts. Great you have created yourself a list of people that you can cold call (cold email). What do you think your odds will be of generating any business from that list?

Do NOT try to sell people on anything before you have taken the time to get to know them. Are there exceptions to this rule? Yes. There are times that you can create business from a very new contact. I will say that I am blessed to have had that happen more times that I can count, but in all cases it is because they started the conversation. There always will be, but as a general rule I do not try to sell someone before understanding something about them. Most importantly, I want to know if they have a need that I can fill for them.

Social Media and Network Marketing both will always be filled with those individuals that will try to sell you on the next big thing, before they even know your name. However, please do not let that discourage you from participating in either. Both have lot to offer and can be a tremendous boost to your business and financial future if you are willing to spend the time. Add value to people, by providing them with information, resources, support, or just a friendly ear to listen. The same rules apply, “help enough other people get what they want and you will get everything you want and more”.

If you are blessed enough to live in an area where you can take advantage of a networking group such as Rainmakers, take every opportunity to do so, but make sure to keep social media as a integral part of your Networking/Marketing Plan. Make 2009 your best year yet!