Home topics small-business-resources sales-and-marketing Hot Tips Marketing Hot Tips The secrets to building a circle of influence for your business Guest Author October 4, 2011 Throughout our lives we end up meeting so many people both personally and professionally. Some people you will only ever know casually while others you will take the time to build relationships with and as a result go on to become trusted allies. It’s those trusted allies you align with that form your ‘Circle of Influence’. Usually those you choose to align with will share common values and similarities or simply compliment your strengths and weaknesses. They will also have no competing interests and represent a synergistic benefit to both parties through an ongoing relationship. Relationships can occur organically through friends, family, introductions, working together or simply by actively sourcing them out and making new connections. So take a moment to think about who is already in your circle and who else you might need or like to have in your circle? Before you say you don’t have one … you do! Big or small, everyone has a ‘Circle of Influence’. The real question is are you utilising the connections you have and building relationships that generate business your way? If you already have a ‘Circle of Influence’ established, regular monitoring and reviewing your circle is critical to its ongoing success. The effectiveness of your circle can be compromised when there are changes to the dynamics of your business or when economic conditions change like