If networking does not come naturally to you, implement these five steps to tap the power of your contact base for partnership and prospect building.

My six year-old son has an uncanny ability to remember faces, names, and people’s interests—beyond his immediate circle of friends. “There’s that boy Alex,” he’ll comment. “He’s in Mrs. so-and-so’s class. He’s into dinosaurs and Power Rangers.” Or, “that’s Amy, she takes ballet and collects Hello Kitty stuff like my sister,” he’ll remark.

This seemingly trivial talent may serve my son well someday, no matter what profession he enters. He’s displaying an aptitude for networking, that much talked about phenomenon that we marketing and sales types yearn to leverage. We all know we need to strengthen our networks, but how to go about doing it can be elusive.

Examine your existing network
Here’s an exercise to try at home. Tally up all your immediate close friends and family. Add to it the number of direct colleagues you know at work, now review your Outlook or Rolodex contact list. The list gets pretty long, pretty quickly, doesn’t it? You may not consider yourself well connected, but chances are you probably have hundreds of acquaintances professionally. For those of you who are highly visible in the professional world, your list may run in the thousands. The point is you have at your disposal an already vast network of resources you can tap into.

So you’re probably asking, if I know—or at least have access to—so many people, why isn’t my phone ringing off the hook with opportunity? There’s a simple answer: out of sight, out of mind. Or as someone once said, “A terrible thing happens when you don’t promote. Nothing.” The good news is your network can be cultivated. Through proper visibility, your professional network can become a valuable catalyst for partnership development and business growth.

Build top of mind presence
Partnership and prospect building through networking is a highly effective means for small businesses that are lean on resources. Here are 5 ways to build stronger networks that can yield business introductions and partnerships.

1. Join groups. Get involved in an organization outside your own four walls—be it a professional association, local networking group or alumni organization. By joining an association you get exposure to new people and ideas that will expand your network. Better yet, serving as a volunteer for an association event can get you exposure behind the scenes with influential people.

Before joining any organization, perform a little due diligence. Attend a couple of meetings as a guest, talk to existing and new members, and check out the group’s website. Know what kind of a time and financial commitment you’re getting into. Find a group that’s right for your specific needs. Remember your agenda is networking, so take a proactive role in meeting people. Bottom-line: Meet new people by putting some power in your conversations and look for reasons to exchange business cards. Also, listen attentively with an ear to how you can help others find resources and meet new people.

2. Become an expert. “Yeah, right,” you’re probably saying. The fact of the matter is, it’s not all that hard to become a so-called “expert.” By writing a few white papers, or giving a lecture or demonstration, you qualify as someone who has something reasonably important to say. The more you do it, the greater recognition you’ll receive. Regular email newsletters are an effective and inexpensive way to broadcast your message. Bottom-line: Promote yourself or business in continual ways that keep you in the minds of your potential partners or prospects.

3. Leverage high-touch marketing. The ideas of Jay Conrad Levinson, author of Guerilla Marketing (1982), have made a resurgence in recent years. With an increasing number of small start-up businesses today, developing strategies for effective marketing activities on a low budget becomes essential. High-touch (meaning low cost, high impact) methods include personal canvassing, speaking at lectures, seminars or demonstrations and building word-of-mouth campaigns through product giveaways, to mention a few. Bottom-line: If you’re resource-poor, get your business’s name and talents known in the marketplace using low-cost methods. The trade-off is putting in some time and effort. The contacts you make can be highly valuable.

4. Seek partnerships with natural synergies. As your network expands, keep a watchful eye for individuals or companies that possess complementary capabilities to your own. The most successful partnerships are ones that skillfully leverage each other’s talents. Seeking an individual or business that can complement your expertise is valuable in two ways. First, by partnering you expand or improve your capabilities, and second, you expand your referral base. I have seen this work effectively in my own business. Finding a few key strategic partners that help you get business done and attract new business is highly rewarding.

Like all meaningful relationships, partnering is a two-way street: you have to pay attention to each other’s needs and concerns. The partnering impetus can fizzle if one party feels they are putting in more commitment than the other. As always, communication is essential. Bottom-line: Explore partnerships that are highly complementary. With proper feeding and care, they’ll stay happy and healthy.

5. Don’t push selling—focus on helping. Hard peddling your wares and services can backfire and repel potential prospects and partners. The goal in networking is to get visibility and build ways of staying in the minds of your prospects as a thought leader or someone that can solve problems. Bottom-line: Adopt a “how can I help” mindset when approaching a partner or prospect. This will garner more respect—and yield more referrals.

Get all the plates in motion
When applying the five principles above, you have to be diligent and systematic. Attending an association meeting here and there or emailing a one-off newsletter won’t build your networking base. Marketing consultant Michael Katz (Blue Penguin Development) says it best. “You need a relationship communications plan. Whether it’s white papers you distribute, colleagues you call and email, business meetings you attend regularly, e-newsletters you write, or some combination, you need to schedule these events into your calendar. If you don’t have a specific ‘plan’—and if it’s not on paper, you don’t have one—this kind of thing becomes the walking definition of ‘back burner.’”

So, work hard to build strong connections that can serve as a conduit for new business and partnerships by staying in the minds of individuals in your network. You’ll know your efforts are working when you get a call from a prospect that was referred to you by someone you don’t even know.