When Derek Coburn began his career as a financial advisor in 1998, he started out using traditional networking methods to attract clients. He attended one to two large networking events per week and handed out tons of business cards. But he soon realized that wasn’t working for him.

“I never enjoyed networking,” says Coburn, author of “Networking Is Not Working”. “I didn’t like the feeling I had when I left an event after three hours and had nothing really to show for it.”

So Coburn turned to non-traditional networking strategies to strengthen his existing relationships, including creating an informal networking group that included his best clients and their top advisors. Coburn soon tripled his revenue and built a successful wealth management practice, which he still runs today.

Coburn wanted to help others learn to network more effectively. So three years ago he and his wife, Melanie, created CADRE, an “un-networking community” in Washington, D.C. that helps top-notch professionals connect and develop meaningful relationships.

He recently ran a webinar on the topic, one of many free career webinars sponsored by Bentley University's Alumni Career Services.

Here are some of Coburn’s tips on how to build and strengthen your own network:

1. Redefine “Networking”
   Rather than simply thinking of networking as a way to get a new job or build your client base, think of it as a way to increase the value of your existing network -- as well as the value you contribute to it.
   
   “Instead of focusing only on yourself or on the people you’re meeting for the first time, focus on the people you already have existing relationships with,” he suggests. “That will add value to your network.”
    

   Focus #networking on people you already have relationships with. @cadredc #preparedu #careertips

   TWEET THIS
   
   Check out the advice in this article about why peer networking is something everyone should do.
    
2. Open Doors
   If you don’t yet have an existing network, reach out to people you may not have spoken to for a while. Use social media, including LinkedIn and Twitter, to find others who work in similar areas. Shoot them an email to see if they want to meet up.
   
   If you're getting a graduate degree, reach out to your fellow students.
    
3. Put Yourself at the Center of Your Network
   Make sure people are always thinking of you and know that you’re thinking of them. The best way to do that is to use technology to stay on top of your contacts. Here are two of Coburn’s favorite tools:

• Contactually: This web-based tool allows you to assign your contacts into buckets, such as “A+ clients” and “alumni friends.” You can then assign each bucket a timeframe that indicates the maximum amount of time you’d like to have pass before you have contact with the people in that bucket. If you’re nearing that time limit, you’ll get an email reminder that it’s time to reach out.
   
• SaneBox: This software helps you organize and manage your 
  email inbox and reminds you to respond to important messages.
  

4. Recognize Contacts’ Achievements
   If someone you know gets a promotion, appears on a morning news show or has a great achievement, be sure to congratulate him or her. A great way to keep up with your contacts’ successes is to use Newsle (owned by LinkedIn). This web app will email you when your contacts are in the news, so you can be sure to congratulate them.
    
5. Host Events for Clients
   When your networking efforts are about clients and developing business connections, a great way to connect with your network is to host appreciation events, such as lunches, sports outings and wine tastings. But instead of inviting, say, nine contacts, invite three contacts and ask them each to bring two friends or colleagues. That will help you both connect with your existing contacts and meet new people you wouldn’t have met otherwise.
   
   The key is to make sure the main purpose of these events is to show appreciation for your clients. “Don’t host these events with the sole purpose of trying to get new clients. That means no pitching yourself or asking for cards,’” says Coburn. “Just have fun and nurture your existing relationships.”
   
   In his first year in business, Coburn hosted four wine tastings for clients and their guests. The events brought him an additional $150,000 in annual revenue—and he did not make a single sales pitch.
    
6. Make it Easy to Stay in Contact With Your Network
   Create email templates that you can easily tweak so you can send messages quickly and efficiently.  You should also produce shareable content about yourself that your clients can easily share with their own networks, such as blogs, videos, podcasts, e-books and other types of content.
    
7. Identify Triggering Events
   These are events that trigger a client’s or prospective client’s need for your services. As a financial advisor, for example, Coburn’s clients’ triggering events include having a baby, getting married and other big life changes.
   
   If you’re job hunting and trying to break into a company, keep an eye out for it in news stories and updates. If someone you know there lands a new deal, they may be looking to bring more people on board.
   
   Start with this list of companies where millennials thrive.

Finally, remember to use the relationships you build to increase your value within your own network. That means taking the time to develop relationships with people who are the best at what they do. In addition to being a great financial advisor, Coburn got to know the best IT guy in his area, the best florist, etc. Clients began to realize that he could help them with a lot more than just their finances, and they began reaching out to him more.
 

“Prove that you’re incredibly capable at your job, but also that you’re resourceful in other ways,” says Coburn. “By doing so, you’ll become the go-to person in your network.”

Want more of these “un-networking” tips from Coburn? Listen to his recent webinar for Bentley University on the topic. And be sure to tune in to other webinars in Bentley’s Career Speaker Series, sponsored by Alumni Career Services, for more expert career advice.

Jennifer Marino Walters is a Washington, D.C.-based writer whose work has been published in the Los Angeles Times, Scholastic magazines, Care.com and more. She writes a mom blog at Double Duty Twins.