One of the most effective marketing techniques for your business involves the concept of networking: building contacts with people in a mutual effort to increase success. Imagine this looking like an intricate spider's web in which each filament leads to several others, all of them connecting to and depending on each other. That's the key to successful networking, whether you're hoping that your contacts can provide you with information, referrals, or sales: networking starts with sharing; the process is as much about giving as it is about gaining.