The Value of Connection – Quality vs. Quantity

So, how do you put a dollar value on connection?

Recently a woman told me that she didn’t want to be a part of my community because it wasn’t large enough. While at first I felt very “small”, I then thought, did she reach out to any of the women who are there? Did she establish contact? Is it really about quantity or more importantly about the quality of who we connect with?

I’m seeing a frenzy within Twitter and Facebook to “amass” friends. Yes, it’s nice to have great groups of followers. However, how can we really touch these “friends” personally? With how many do we end up forming a true connection?

I’ve found that one truly significant connection means more to me – and my business success – than hundreds of surface connections. Let me share a story that illustrates this…

The seed of my networking tree

A few months ago I wanted to reflect in a grateful place on where the great women I’d met in my life had come from. I created a “networking tree” and discovered that almost all of my local connections originated from one person.

A few years ago, after just moving to CT, I was working on developing leads for a direct sales business and periodically purchased “internet leads” of people interested in business opportunities. I contacted a man named Dave who lived close by. We spoke a bit, I had a good gut feel, and in an atypical fashion I asked him to meet me in person.