Effective Networking Strategies in 4 Simple Steps
Networking shouldn’t feel like collecting business cards that go nowhere. Inside H7, you have a clear pathway for turning first-time connections into Champions that reliably grow your business. In this post, we’ll break that pathway into four simple steps so you can use H7 with confidence and know exactly what to do after each meeting.
Join us for the Develop your Champion Workshop led by Clay Hicks. DYC is held monthly over zoom and is for ALL Members of the H7 Community. Register for the next one
How H7 Helps You Turn Contacts into Champions
At its core, H7 isn’t just about “meeting people.” It’s about building Champion Relationships—people who you’ve earned mutual trust with, meet with monthly, and you’re focused on collaborating together to drive more success in business. Champions are people that you intentionally desire to increase your lead generation with. Never doing business alone is why H7 Network was created in the first place back in 2008.
The Connect, Serve, and Ask® (CSA) approach is the engine behind that. Instead of jumping straight to “Can you send me referrals?” or “Are you looking to buy what I’m selling?”, you follow a clear, repeatable path:
- Connect deliberately
- Serve first, without conditions (trust earning opportunity for you)
- Ask clearly and specifically, in a way that makes it easy on others (trust earning opportunity for the other person)
When you follow this path through a series of intentional one-to-ones, you move from “new contact” to “trusted champion” in a way that feels natural, professional, and sustainable. H7 gives you the environment, but these four steps are how you turn it into real, predictable growth.
The 4 Steps to Success with Your H7 Champions
1. The Initial Connection with Another Member
Your journey with a future champion usually starts in an H7 meeting. This is where you identify potential champions—people you’d like to know better and possibly collaborate with long term.
Instead of thinking, “Who can send me referrals today?”, shift your mindset to:
“Who in this room could become a Champion for my business over time?”
Look for: Are they a Center of Influence for your target markets or industries? Do your worlds overlap enough that you could genuinely help each other?
Then, before you leave the meeting, do one critical thing:
Schedule a Connect, Serve, and Ask® One-to-one before you start passing introductions or asking for referrals.
Trust comes before transactions. You don’t want a brand-new contact making introductions for you without knowing who to refer you to or knowing you well enough or being comfortable enough to do so—and you don’t want to risk your own reputation doing that for others either.
Reflection questions for Step 1:
- What qualities do you seek in a potential champion (Center of Influence), and how could they complement your journey?
- How can you present yourself authentically to establish a genuine connection from the beginning and for for maximum engagement?
- Do you have your 3-Word Introduction and 30-Second Commercial ready to go? (Attend F.U.E.L. Orientation to prepare your communication)
- Do you have your COIs and Prospects ready to be communicated easy enough for others to be able to picture what you’re asking for in their own minds instantly? (Schedule yourself for Activate H7 Training)
2. The First Connect, Serve, and Ask® One-to-One
Once you’ve identified a potential champion, your next move is to schedule a 30-minute Connect, Serve, and Ask® One-to-one. Think of this as your “discovery conversation,” not a sales pitch.
The purpose of this first CSA One-to-one is to:
- Get to know each other beyond the quick intros in a meeting
- Understand each other’s businesses, goals, and target markets
- Look for ways to serve and add value—before you ask for anything
What to do in this first CSA One-to-one
Use the time intentionally:
Connect (10–15 minutes for a 30 minute one to one or 30 minutes in a 60 minute one to one)
- Ask about their story: how they started, what they specialize in, and what matters most to them.
- Look for common ground: similar values, complementary services, similar background.
Serve (10 minutes for a 30 minute one to one or 15 minutes in a 60 minute one to one
- Ask:
- “How can I help you right now?”
- “Who would you like to meet?”
- “Who is your ideal client, industry, or type of person?”
- Listen carefully for real needs:
- Do they need visibility or something that you may actually provide or something you can help them with based on your own profession?
- Introductions into a certain industry?
- Help with messaging, systems, or tech?
- Offer specific, realistic help:
- A warm introduction you can make
- A resource, checklist, or tool
- A platform (podcast, workshop, webinar, social media) where you can feature them
Ask (in the time remaining)
- In H7, you’ll eventually learn How to Ask for your target markets in a way that makes it easier on others to help you and open up the channel for trust to be earned with you, using the specific techniques found only in Activate H7 (must be logged into Town Square to view).
- In this first meeting, keep your “ask” to industry (B2B professional such as a Fractional Executive) or type of person (B2C professional such as a Realtor), or simply set the stage for future asks once trust has been built.
Reflection questions for Step 2:
- Are you prepared? Half the battle for success in networking is showing up prepared for your meeting. (how to prepare)
- How can you add value to your potential champion during this meeting?
- What are the primary goals you aim to achieve through this Connect, Serve, and Ask® One-to-One?
3. Deepening the Relationship with a Second Connect, Serve, and Ask® One-to-One
The second CSA One-to-one is where things move from “good conversation” to the beginning of a real, trusted relationship. You’re still not trying to “get as much as you can.” You’re still focused on:
- Strengthening trust
- Deepening understanding
- Clarifying how you can sustainably support each other
What changes between the first and second meetings?
In the first meeting, you get the basics: who they are, what they do, and who they serve.
In the second meeting, you go deeper into learning what it may be like to refer this new relationship to your relationships:
- Professional ethics and values
- How do they treat clients?
- What does a “good referral” look like to them?
- What would they never do in business?
- Processes and expectations
- What happens when you send them a referral?
- How do they follow up?
- How do they communicate wins and outcomes?
- Strategic fit
- Do your networks genuinely overlap?
- Are your services compatible (non-competing but complementary)?
- Can you see yourself proudly introducing this person to your best clients?
Use this meeting to share more clearly about yourself, too:
- Explain your client experience and onboarding
- Talk about your non-negotiables (how you treat people, communication standards, etc.)
- Share a few short client success stories to show how you work
Strategies to further build trust in Step 3
- Be transparent. If there are things you’re still figuring out in your business, say so. People trust honesty over perfection.
- Follow through on what you promised in the first meeting. Bring back updates on any introductions or resources you said you’d provide.
- Ask deeper questions.
- “What kind of partnerships work best for you?”
- “What’s the most helpful type of introduction for your business?”
- “What would an ideal champion relationship look like for you?”
Reflection questions for Step 3:
- Have I reviewed the Second Connect, Serve, and Ask® One-to-One template? (review the template here in Town Square for preparation)
- How did your understanding of the person’s professional ethics and values evolve between the first and second meeting?
- What strategies can you employ to further build trust in this future collaboration?
4. Developing the Champion Relationship
After two or three CSA One-to-ones, you’ll often have enough information to decide:
“Is this someone I want to intentionally develop as a Champion?”
If the answer is yes, this is where you formalize the relationship in your own mind, with them, your CRM, and begin to work together more strategically.
Clarifying the relationship and expectations
A Champion Relationship isn’t vague. You each know:
- Who you’re trying to reach (target markets, ideal client profile, industries, and/or types of people)
- How you can open doors for each other
- What “a good introduction” looks like
- How you’ll stay in touch and measure progress
You might say something like:
“I really value how we align in values and how complementary our networks are. I’d love to be intentional about being a champion for you and having you as a champion for me. Can we set up a recurring time to meet monthly and work on introductions and collaboration together?”
Reflection questions for Step 4:
- Do I desire to use the Connect, Serve, and Ask® Champion Recurring Meeting Agenda with my new Champion? (review the agenda in Town Square and discuss it with your Champion)
- What unique resources or knowledge can you offer to fortify this champion relationship?
- How do you plan to communicate the expectations and goals for this relationship to ensure mutual benefit?
Collaboration Opportunities with Your Trusted Champions
Once a Champion Relationship is in place, the real fun begins. Introductions are powerful—but they are only one way to help each other.
Here are several collaboration ideas you can use:
- Use the Connect, Serve, and Ask® Champion Recurring Meeting Agenda
- More than just a framework and more information is listed below.
- Co-create content
- Host joint webinars or workshops
- Record a live or pre-recorded conversation on a topic you both care about
- Build a resource, guide, or checklist that serves both of your audiences
- Cross-promote on social media
- Share and comment on each other’s posts
- Do joint livestreams or short video interviews
- Feature each other regularly in stories or newsletters
- Industry collaborations
- Speak together at industry events or panels
- Co-author articles or whitepapers
- Host roundtables or invite-only discussions for your shared target markets
- Co-branded products or services
- Offer bundled services that solve a bigger problem together
- Create a co-branded program, course, or package for a shared audience
- Build a referral-friendly framework where you each handle part of the client journey
- Testimonials, endorsements, and guest contributions
- Write testimonials or case studies for each other (when you’ve seen their work)
- Guest post on each other’s blogs or appear on each other’s podcasts
- Invite one another to contribute tips, quotes, or insights to your content
Reflection questions for collaboration:
- Which collaboration opportunity aligns best with your strategic goals, and why?
- How will you ensure that the collaborative efforts remain mutually rewarding?
Using the Champion Recurring Meeting Agenda
Strong Trusted-Champion Relationships don’t grow by accident—they grow by consistency and structure. That’s where a Champion Recurring Meeting Agenda comes in.
Treat these meetings as a standing appointment to:
- Check in on each other’s focus, markets, and priorities
- Share wins and updates from previous introductions
- Plan new introductions and collaboration ideas
How to prepare for each champion meeting
Prepare a list of desired introductions
- Before each meeting, identify around 10 potential new connections that align with your champion’s network.
- Be specific: (B2B professional such as a Fractional Executive) industries, company sizes, job titles, or (B2C professional such as a Realtor) types of people.
Use templates for consistency
- Create or use existing LinkedIn introduction templates (LinkedIn Intro template) or email scripts (Email Intro template).
- Make it simple for your champion to introduce you with confidence and clarity.
- Keep your “ask” clear and separate from the explanation:
- First: “I’d love an introduction to [type of person/industry/company].”
- Then: briefly explain why and how you can help that market.
Track and review together in each Champion Recurring Meeting
- Keep a simple tracking system (spreadsheet, CRM, or shared doc).
- Review what’s working:
- Which introductions turn into good conversations?
- Which collaborations are gaining traction?
- Adjust your focus together.
Reflection questions for your recurring agenda:
- Is this direction the one I really want to take? Am I really ready to be very intentional with my networking?
- How can you effectively use the champion recurring meeting agenda to create valuable introductions?
- What measures will you take to assess the success and growth of your champion relationships periodically?
Common Mistakes That Stall Your H7 Champion Relationships (and How to Avoid Them)
One of the biggest mistakes members make is skipping straight to “Ask” without truly Connecting and Serving first. When you ask for referrals from someone who barely knows you, it puts pressure on them, risks their reputation, and often leads to low-quality introductions or no introductions at all.
Another common mistake is treating every person you meet as a potential champion. Not everyone is meant to become a Champion Relationship. Some will be great acquaintances; others will be occasional collaborators. That’s okay. Focus your deepest energy on the people who share your values, show up consistently, and are eager to build something truly mutual. When you do, H7 becomes more than “networking”—it becomes a powerful word of mouth marketing engine for predictable, trusted, lead generating growth.
Conclusion & Next Step
Building Champion Relationships in H7 is a simple, repeatable four-step pathway: connect at the meeting, schedule your first CSA One-to-one, deepen the relationship with a second, and then formalize and grow a champion partnership through ongoing collaboration and recurring agendas.
If you’d like help mapping out your own Champion Strategy or designing your recurring meeting agenda, your next best step is to dive deeper into the Connect, Serve, and Ask® training and start applying it with one new potential champion this week.
Method and written by: Clay Hicks
“When you focus on the relationship and not the outcome, your outcomes become more predictable”
