How Effective Are Your
Networking Skills, Really?

Take the Contacts Count Networking Competency Assessment to discover exactly how you perform across the 8 core competencies of effective networking.
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In just 20 minutes, you’ll receive a personalized 12-page report highlighting your strengths, identifying gaps, and outlining areas for improvement that can help you build stronger relationships and connect with greater confidence.

Why Understanding Your Networking Skills Matters

Most professionals understand that networking is important.

But few know whether they are networking effectively.

Whether you want to grow sales, strengthen client relationships, build visibility, advance your career, or become more confident in professional conversations, understanding your ability to build relationships can make all the difference. Without this clarity, it is difficult to know what helps you and what may be holding you back.

The Contacts Count Networking Competency Assessment gives you that clear picture.

You’ll see your scores across the 8 competencies that drive confident, strategic, trust-based networking, helping you identify where targeted improvement can lead to stronger relationships and better professional outcomes.

What Your Results Will Reveal

After completing the assessment, you’ll receive instant results that answer three key questions:

Where do I stand today?

You’ll receive an overall networking competency score that provides a clear benchmark of your current skill level.

Which skill should I improve first?

You’ll see your scores for each of the 8 networking competencies, making it easier to identify which area needs your immediate attention so you can focus your efforts where they matter most.

What have I never really thought about before?

Many people find the questions themselves provide valuable insight. You may recognize habits, blind spots, or missed opportunities you had not previously considered in building professional relationships.

The 8 Networking Competencies

The practical skills behind more effective networking
Your results will show how you perform across the Contacts Count framework. These are the 8 core competencies that help professionals build more confident, strategic, trust-based relationships.

Develop a Positive Networker Identity

Build a healthier, more confident mindset around networking.

Communicate Your Expertise

Explain who you are, what you do, and the value you bring.

Engage Others

Start and sustain more meaningful professional conversations.

Take a Strategic Approach

Be more intentional about who you connect with and why.

Network Gracefully

Handle introductions, conversations, and follow-up more effectively.

Develop Trust-Based Relationships

Build stronger, more mutually beneficial professional relationships.

Envision Your Ideal Network

Identify the people and relationships that can best support your goals.

Achieve More! Give More!

Use networking to learn, contribute, and create better outcomes for everyone involved.

What Your Score Can Tell You

After thousands of assessments, most groups show a consistent pattern:

About 65% of scores fall between 40 and 60
About 30% fall between 61 and 79
Only about 5% score 80 or above

That means many capable professionals discover the same thing:

They already have some networking skills, but also clear opportunities to improve.

And that is good news.

Networking is not an innate talent. It is a set of skills, behaviors, tools, and strategies that can be learned and improved with awareness and practice.

The true value of the assessment goes beyond a numerical score.

It lies in understanding which networking skills help you build stronger professional relationships and which may be limiting your opportunities, visibility, confidence, or ability to connect effectively.

Who Benefits Most From This Assessment

The Contacts Count Networking Competency Assessment is especially useful for:

Business leaders, managers, and relationship-driven professionals

Professionals who want to boost sales, build stronger client relationships, increase their visibility, grow their network, and develop more confident, strategic professional relationships.

This is especially valuable for professionals in law firms, associations, banking, professional services, and other industries where trust and relationships matter.

Individual professionals

Professionals aiming to advance their careers, change jobs, increase confidence, strengthen professional relationships, or become more effective in networking and professional conversations.

The Real Goal of Better Networking

The goal is not to become someone who simply “works the room.”

The real goal is to be someone who can confidently have a meaningful conversation with anyone, anywhere, at any time.

Sometimes that conversation is short and simple. Sometimes it becomes a valuable lunch meeting where both people learn from each other.

Effective networking isn’t just about talking and taking.

It’s about teaching, giving, listening, learning, and building trust.

As your networking skills grow, your confidence usually grows too.
Vern provided the specific ‘how to’ skills, behaviors, and strategies that helped the team change the way they think and act when it comes to building relationships.
Tom Waring | Principal, Note Advisors
I used the 8 competencies to grow my network effortlessly. Most importantly, I gained confidence and competence in my ability to build relationships.
Bolaji Olagundu | CEO, The Workforce Group

What Makes Contacts Count Different

Contacts Count has helped thousands of professionals understand and improve their networking skills.

The assessment is based on decades of hands-on experience in HR, learning and development, coaching, and building professional relationships.

After a successful executive career, including leadership experience at Dunkin’ Donuts, Vern Schellenger found himself navigating a career transition and realized something surprising:

He had never actually been taught how to network effectively.

That experience led him to dedicate himself to learning the skills behind authentic, mutually beneficial relationship-building and acquiring Contacts Count. He has spent more than 15 years helping professionals and organizations strengthen the practical skills behind effective networking.

Contacts Count is built around a practical belief:

Most people hear about what networking is and why it matters.

Far fewer are taught how to do it effectively.

That’s what makes the Contacts Count approach different.

What You’ll Receive

When you complete the assessment, you receive:
  • A personalized 12-page PDF report
  • An overall networking competency score
  • Scores across the 8 Contacts Count networking competencies
  • Insight into your strongest and weakest areas
  • A clearer understanding of where to focus first
  • The opportunity to review your results. If you would like to discuss practical next steps schedule a free 30 minute to review your results
The goal is not simply to give you a score.

It helps you better understand your current networking habits, identify where focused improvement can make the biggest difference, and gives you a clearer path toward stronger professional relationships.

Ready to See Where You Stand?

In 20 minutes, you can gain a clearer understanding of your networking strengths, identify areas for improvement, and discover where focused effort could lead to stronger professional relationships and better opportunities.

Take the Contacts Count Networking Competency Assessment today to begin a learning journey that improves your confidence and competence in building  relationships that make a difference!

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