In order to build relationships, you need to demonstrate your expertise. By doing so, you will build trust and credibility in the eyes and minds of the people who you come across. As a result, you will start to build some great relationships. After all, the networking tenet of “helping others before you ask for help” is very applicable in this situation.
Therefore, you should devote some of your time to giving away your expertise for free. I am not advocating that you give everything away but rather pick and choose what makes the most sense. Below are some common ways that people give away their expertise for free.
Volunteer on a Committee
Taking an active role on a committee in a non-profit or networking group is a great way to show your skills. Not only will you meet some great people, but also it can be rewarding work.
Assist an Entrepreneur
Most entrepreneurs in the very early business stages don’t have the cash resources to pay outside consultants. Therefore, provide some pro-bono services to help entrepreneurs get to the point where they can pay you or you can take a more active role within the firm.
Speak at an Event
A great way to demonstrate your expertise and share some tips is to speak in front of an audience. Speaking is a great preview of what you can do and can lead to paid opportunities.
Help Your Alma Mater
If you are active alumnus of your university, then you may have the opportunity to work with some students or professors on a class project. You should be honored to have the opportunity and who knows, you may end up hiring some of these students.
All of the above methods are great ways to really build some meaningful and quality relationships. It takes time to build relationships so spend some time getting to know people.
What other ways have you worked for free?
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Jason,
These are awesome suggestions!
Posted by: Scott Bradley | April 19, 2008 at 10:20 AM
Why work for free when you could work for money? My friend does this (well, abstractly), hanging out with customers for free all the time, and every once in a while it pays off well for her, but it doesn't seem worth it when you consider how it takes up her whole life.
Posted by: Tara | April 19, 2008 at 05:40 PM
Working for worthy causes. The charity or whatever may never be wealthy, but some of the friends you make may be or may have friends.
Posted by: Evan | April 19, 2008 at 05:43 PM
With this post, I am not suggesting that you actually work for free. Rather, I am suggesting that you should share your expertise and volunteer to not only help others but to build relationships. A great way to grow your network is use this technique.
Posted by: Jason Jacobsohn | April 19, 2008 at 11:35 PM
Thanks for sharing those methods.
Volunteer on a committee works well for me but speaking at an event may turn me off completely. :)
I'm still learning to be a public speaker.
Posted by: Raymond Chua | April 20, 2008 at 10:28 AM
Not every method will work for everyone. It is good to try new methods out of your comfort zone as well.
Posted by: Jason Jacobsohn | April 20, 2008 at 02:15 PM
Yes I will work for free to get something good for me. Anyway Great article with great ideas inside!
Posted by: Harrison | April 23, 2008 at 10:58 PM
Be careful as to your intentions of helping someone. It is not generally good to expect something in return right away. Usually, you will see the benefits later on. Good deeds usually come back to you in a postive way.
Posted by: Jason Jacobsohn | April 24, 2008 at 05:19 PM