If you want to get ahead in the business world, you’ll need skill, luck and connections. And the latter is arguably the most important of your assets. The amount of career success you find will probably be a function of your ability to make helpful connections and use them to your advantage.

InvestorJunkie offers a primer on business networking skills to develop, hone and maintain. An overarching theme is a recommendation against scrounging for friends with business benefits like some sort of vampire. The best alliances come from a genuine emotional connection and mutual benefits. Attempting to fake your way into someone’s good graces can backfire, causing you to take two steps back rather than move forward.

When you meet people you want to stick in your network, it’s important to follow up often to make sure they remember who you are. Look for ways you can help others you don’t know well, and when you need help, don’t be shy about asking those who are in position to lend a hand. If you’re brushed aside, don’t take it personally. Because if there were a personal connection there, you probably wouldn’t have been denied.

5 Helpful Business Networking Tips [InvestorJunkie]

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