In an article for CNBC.com, Professor Ivan Misner, the founder of Business Networking International (BNI), and author of Networking Like a Pro: Turning Contacts into Connections, wrote:

The only way you’ll benefit from social media is to build relationships with your online friends through engaging in the conversations you start. Otherwise, you’ll quickly earn a reputation as somebody who wants to be heard but doesn’t care enough to listen. People will perceive you as ignoring them and you’ll never earn any business that way.

Online or offline, human beings want to be listened to. Many psychologists believe that the need for attention and recognition are essential needs. The famous psychologist, Abraham Maslow, classified belonging as one of the five basic human needs. Note the following excerpt from an article in Wikipoedia:

Belongingness is the human need to be an accepted member of a group. Whether it is family, friends, co-workers, or a sports team, humans have an inherent desire to belong and be an important part of something greater than themselves.^[1] The motive to belong is the need for “strong, stable relationships with other people.”^[2] This implies a relationship that is greater than simple acquaintance or familiarity. The need to belong is the need to give and receive affection from others.

See my post: Relationships are Better Than Money…

Tags: Conversations, Listening, Relationships, Social Media

This entry was posted on July 1, 2010 at 11:35 pm. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Posted in Business Relationships Platonic Friends Uncategorized by Buddy Hodges 1 Comment