Networking 101 - Build your contact list with Facebook

As you may already know, Facebook (FB) is a social networkers dream application. But last Sunday, my good friend Yahoohttp://www.yahoo.com brought a great smile to my face. As I perused my 209 unread emails (one day average) , an advertisement scrolled across my screen. Keep all you contacts in one place was the text on the ad. When I clicked on the ad, there was the Windows Live, Gmail and to my absolute amazement, the Facebook logo. Facebook has kept e-mail addresses safely in the network for years and Yahoo has finally unlocked this valuable piece of data. Immediately, I tried to download my 5000 FB friends and after the 18th unsuccessful attempt, I looked on the internet for help. This article (thank you Amit Agarwal), "How to Export Email Addresses of all your Facebook Friends" clearly explained the process and why I was unsuccessful (my facebook and yahoo accounts are already linked) but for the average FB user, these instructions will work just fine.

Now that the email addresses are out of Facebook, here is a small checklist of what to do with this valuable information!

1) Invest in a Contact Management System (CMS) like send out cards. A good CMS system (not your newsletter or e-mail system) will allow you to manage the relationship with prospects by honing in on the details. For example, most of my clients come from details about my life outside of work (mother of three, runner, occasional writer) and being able to connect with my clients on a personal level. The CMS should allow you to enter dated notes about your interactions with clients so you can ask "how are your children? Is your grandmother out of the hospital?" As Bob Burg says in Endless Referrals - "People do business with people they like, know and TRUST. Read more about CMS in the article "What do you do with a business card"

2) Use that client list to find potential clients and contacts on www.linkedin.com. The list can now be uploaded to linkedin and find the network of your new potential clients. Linkedin will show not only your connection but how you are connected to the person through the mutual business contacts. The person who was a complete stranger 5 minutes ago is now a friend of a friend which enhances the relationship (and makes it much easier to become liked, known and TRUSTED).

3) Add the users to your newsletter distribution system (using the opt-in feature of course). Newsletters are one of the easiest way to do follow-ups with your existing clients and potential clients. In just 4 hours, a newsletter can be written and sent to all your contacts to make them aware of a special or a new opportunity that can help their business. The objective of the newsletter is not to "sell" them on a product/service but to give your target market news they can use which builds TRUST.

Now that you have the information (i.e. news you can use), it is time for me to go back to the drawing board and try to download my Facebook contacts for the 19th time. Wish me luck!