4 Actions to Connect and Grow Meaningful Relationships
Let’s be real networking can be nerve-racking. Especially now with COVID-19, it can feel scary and possibly the last thing that may cross our minds.
However, I truly believe that relationship building is vital to growing during our journey.
And our guest, Tanya Ortega agrees with me. She is an excellent example of connecting and growing meaningful relationships in the fashion industry.
In the 50th episode of Ellas, I talked with Tanya Ortega, Fashion Stylist Contributor at Vogue International, about connecting and establishing meaningful connections with key industry figures.
If you’re still feeling over the fence about networking, here’s a quote from our conversation that I know will nudge you in the right direction.
To help you make this journey easy, today I’m sharing 4 powerful actions that have helped Tanya form lasting career and personal relationships.
Read on to learn how you can start using them!
Reframing your mindset
So, before I share these 4 actions that I promised, I want to help you push aside the word networking and replace it with relationship building.
This exchange of words personally helped me overcome my aversion to networking. Once I reframed my mindset, it was easy to meet, connect, and grow meaningful relationships with people I admire and deeply care about.
I genuinely see them as my friends. And I’m thankful to have them in my life.
Reframing your mindset around this word is the boost to encourage you to connect with people, especially now that we can do it from the comfort and safety of our bed.
Connect with People Who are Like You
The first action that Tanya shared was to make relationships with people that you’re going to connect the easiest. It takes a weight off your shoulders and helps you show your personality.
I know, most of us WFH and in-person networking events are out of the question. So, it's hard to find friends or even meet others to make new connections.
Let me remind you that virtually connecting is still an option, and it's one of the ways I meet new people and build friendships.
The main tool that I use is Instagram. I follow people who have the same interests, passions, and values as me. Once these three points are covered, it’s no surprise that their work resonates with me. I want to support them in any way I can.
To make it easier, I encourage you to take a couple of minutes out of your day and see who you’re already following. We tend to just hit the follow button, but don’t take the time to see the value they can share with others.
And if you want to take it a step further and meet people who are passionate about what they do as much as you, then check out these 3 Latina spaces that share our values!
Mujeres on the Rise Facebook Group
I’m part of this FB group and love that Mujeres on the Rise is dedicated to the empowerment and support of Latina women!
This group was created to create a community where you can connect with other incredible Latinas to discuss all things career, entrepreneurship, finance, and more.
Plus membership is free, so come and say hola!
The Latinista
We’ve had Yai Vargas on the podcast, so I resonate with The Latinista’s mission of supporting professional women to invest in their career development.
Their virtual membership network offers tools and resources to level up your career.
They offer monthly payments of $37 and annual payments of $390.
#WeAllGrow AMIGAS
#WeAllGrow offers a vibrant and intimate community of Latinas.
They offer original content, mentorship, wellness sessions, and growth tools developed with Latinas in mind.
Membership is free
2. Engage and Email
Before you send that cold-email, I want you to take some time to engage with the person you’re going to contact.
What I do is interact with their stories and leave meaningful comments when liking their photos. I take the time to read their captions, congratulate their achievements, or share what resonated with me about their work or project.
Trust me, forget about the 8 heart eyes emojis. Sharing genuine messages will help you be noticed and connect with them more easily.
Now that we covered that part, people will be familiar with you once you send that email.
Tanya gave a wonderful tip when she’s emailing someone from PR at Chanel or Givenchy, who are based in Paris, and she has grown these relationships for over four years. It comes to adding her personal touch!
Now that you’ve invested the time to engage on their social media account, you can congratulate them about their recent win or gush about that recent look they just posted. Tanya also shares that if she doesn’t know that person, she’s more professional. However, if she's interacted with this person more than twice, then Tanya changes her approach.
To give you more help, check this email script Tanya uses when reaching out to her PR connections. Of course, I recommend adapting it to the person and purpose of your email.
Like Tanya said in our conversation, this feels non-formal but productive yet fun! Plus, if you can get your email to stand out, it’s most likely they’ll respond!
Everyone gets so many emails, and we know they ALL sound the same. So, what better way than to stand out by showing your personality!
3. Learn How to Communicate with Different Types of People
Since you’re investing time getting to know the person you’re connecting with you, it’ll be easy for you to learn their preferred communication style.
The best way to start is by seeing them as individuals.
Put in the effort to listen, watch, and learn more about them on an individual level.
Read that again.
Even though you’re the one creating this connection for your benefit, the reality of growing a genuine relationship is by investing your time in knowing them.
Every person is different, and you can’t speak to everybody the same. It’s up to you to know, appreciate, and respect their preferred communication style.
Tanya emphasizes how important it is to be surrounded by different kinds of people. Her job entails always communicating with individuals from countries like Mexico, Brazil, France, or Colombia. So, you know she’s dedicated to learning how to interact and communicate with every individual.
She shared that knowing them has helped her learn how to create unique and individual relationships. Most importantly, these people are figures who helped her rise in her career.
4. Be Personable and Open
If you want the simple answer to connecting and growing relationships, it all comes down to the way you treat people.
You’re the one initiating this connection, so you must treat the person you’re knowing with kindness and respect.
Remember, they do not owe you their time, knowledge or expertise. So, if you act rude in any way, don’t be surprised to have your emails or messages ignored.
Because at the end of the day, people will always remember how you made them feel.
Tanya said it best in our conversation, “You always want to make it work, there’s never a no in your language.”
And she’s right! Be someone who people want to be around with, learn from, and are happy to connect because you’re always ready to make things work.
Don’t forget what Tanya said, “Nurture any connection that you make, because you never know if that person is gonna come across another industry person and want to recommend you.”