The CEO and co-founder of Covve, Yiannis Gavrielides; a one-of-a-kind business development tool that is widely used for contact management, discusses the best ways in managing or building professional-level relationships. As for this likefigures interview, we will learn how Covve’s software tools enable professionals to timely and relevantly add a significant personal feel through it.
Could you please elaborate on who you are?
I go by the name Yiannis Gavrielides. I’m a business owner that loves bringing people together through theatre, dining, drinking, and commerce.
My love of theatre led me to co-found Stagedoor, the top theatre discovery app in London, which one of the biggest entertainment firms in the UK just purchased. I co-founded the renowned bar Lost+Found Drinkery, which has consistently been recognized as one of the top 50 bars in the world.
Every project I undertake is motivated by my biggest love, connecting with wonderful individuals!
Covve was co-founded by me to assist individuals in bettering their lives and professions by building deep connections and fostering and growing their contact networks.
What specifically is Covve as well as what unique services does it provide?
A strong ecosystem of solutions called Covve is designed to help you maintain and grow the contact network that you possess.
Covve Personal CRM, a user-friendly productivity program that helps you manage and organize your connections, is our most well-liked product.
For instance, Covve serves to remind you to get in touch with your contacts, one of our unique features created especially for relationship management; it notifies of news about their business, and hobbies along with the sports team so you constantly have a good excuse; and it demonstrates how to take notes to ensure that you never stray from the topic.
Brokers, business owners, and executives that depend upon contact networks have an advantage in the workplace, thanks to Covve.
Tell us about the Covve community and the technology that powers your services.
We have created a complete ecosystem of services and products for every step of the relationship cycle.
When you meet someone, use Covve Scan and Covve Card, our digital business card products, to make sure you can quickly share contact information while being considerate of your surroundings;
Covve Personal CRM guarantees that you keep in touch, log conversations, and build deep connections;
NetworkThis, an email course consisting of 25 weeks, shows you how to establish more meaningful connections with others.
The products we offer are intuitive and user-friendly. They give our users the information and procedures they need to manage and utilize their contact network by employing the latest and technology along with artificial intelligence. They are propelled at the “back end” by a distinctive engine.
What is a network precisely, and what makes it so crucial to any business?
Humans are hardwired to need social interaction. We come up with ideas, share them, and look for new methods to help one another grow as a team. It is a group of contacts that might be both similar and diverse that have gathered through time. We develop enduring ties as we grow our networks so that we may use them in a variety of circumstances and reciprocate by helping them out.
Networking is something that every company owner should do since it can
- Entitle you to access a greater range of opportunities, information, and assets that can be useful to your business.
- Pinpoint vendors and partners that may be able to boost your competitive edge and assist you in expanding your company.
- Help in building new ties and connections with future customers to draw in more business and boost profits.
- Update you on market changes, trends, and opportunities so you can stay competitive and relevant.
Develop your professional reputation and become known as an expert in your industry to draw in more clients.
Your network may include mentors, colleagues, business partners, and even competitors. It all comes down to creating an environment where collaboration may occur and creating bonds from which we can grow.
Businesses that encourage employee networking also help the firm grow by enabling workers to communicate with one another and generate fresh ideas across divisions. When a place for cooperation is established, teams get to know one another better and become closer.
It’s vital to manage your connections so that you don’t fully drift apart from them. Your network is your net worth, according to Porter Gale.
What sets the Covve App apart from other relationship management programs available?
Since it offers the robust features you need to manage your connections while yet being user-friendly, Covve stands out from the competition.
20 more contacts after going to an event? You don’t need to alter how you operate since Covve syncs with your contacts book in two different ways. They will show up in Covve prepared to be added as relationships, with automated reminders, notes, and news alerts to make sure you transform the new contacts into significant connections.
We are grateful for the support of business titans like Doug Lester. He works with executives at Fortune 100 organizations as well as MBA students and graduates of major business institutions as a world-class career strategist and executive coach. Several professionals and businesswomen, including Shannen Stewart, the founder, and president of Heels and Handshakes, a network of more than 3,000 women in business and businesswomen, suggest us as well.
Best expressed by our users:
Others are cumbersome, overly complicated, and hard to comprehend; people-centric vs. deal-centric; Covve encourages me to maintain my network so I can be purposeful about it.
How can networking assist company owners to weather the economic downturn?
The epidemic and geopolitical unrest are having an impact on businesses, which is causing a bear market and severe job losses. But, an economic slump also presents an opportunity. This is the moment to experiment and outperform the competition.
Make use of your contacts to seize these opportunities. Focus on your current clientele, look for joint venture, acquisition, and partnership options, and hold onto your finest workers.
Covve supports business executives and team leaders all over the globe in their intentional and persistent attempts to network. How it will help you: Depending on your demands and the needs of the markets you are engaged in, rekindle old ties and give your contacts precedence. By recalling earlier encounters with your contacts, you might bring up personal information about them in a chat. They don’t appreciate hearing, “Hey, it’s been a while, but I need your aid,” from someone. Look for topics your contacts can connect to you on to make an otherwise difficult chat into a friendly catch-up.
Consider the overall picture from a unique angle. Contact those in your network who can help you deal with the problems your business is having. While success is not assured, if you pass on these possibilities, you will lose out on them.
Could you go into more detail on the many advantages of concentrating on networking to create new business chances?
A recession is present. What do you need right now? Is this a new company? someone who can help you redefine your business strategy or reorganize your company? An investor who may provide you with a bridge round? It may just take a few mouse clicks or phone calls to contact all of these folks.
You may use networking to your advantage in a variety of ways when it comes to reviving your company or finding new prospects. Also, it might act as a catalyst for obtaining people, finance, or company growth. 32% of entrepreneurs actively recruited via their network, according to a survey by Booth Management School at the University of Chicago, while 29% said they obtained financing through networking. If we’re being really honest, 34% of respondents sought out the emotional support of others in their network, which is essential during a recession.
One of my favorite instances of this is when Oracle paid over a billion dollars to acquire the marketing automation startup Eloqua. According to Entrepreneur Magazine, the acquisition was made because of Paul Teshima’s close connections to Oracle as a co-founder of Eloqua. The article states that “Many individuals are already aware of it. They may not be aware of the fact that Teshima’s strong, mutually beneficial connections with Oracle personnel were the key to the deal’s successful implementation. Eloqua was bought out for more than 200 percent of its projected public market worth, which increased shareholder wealth by more than $400 million. It is accurate. The entrepreneur sold his company for double it’s market worth because of his connections to Oracle.
Having said that, it’s crucial to expand your network beyond your existing contacts. A study from Northwestern University found that having a large network opens up new doors for you. Unknown companies and people that contact in your network may be able to introduce you. Be sure to ask that friend of a friend to introduce you as a result.
What are the benefits and the best strategy for adding networking to your company plan?
There should be enough time in your company strategy for networking. As follows:
1) Have clear goals: Decide what you want to achieve by networking, such as gathering market knowledge or getting in touch with new partners, clients, or suppliers. By doing this, you’ll be able to concentrate your efforts more effectively and gauge the success of your networking activities.
2) Assign resources and time: You may give networking high priority by blocking out a certain amount of time in your plan for it. You could also want to budget money for memberships, networking opportunities, and other tools that will support the expansion and upkeep of your network.
3. Choose your audience: Think about your motivations and the people you want to interact with. Examples of this include partners, suppliers, mentors, and future clients. Learn what you can give them and the most effective methods to connect with them.
4) Use a variety of avenues. You may network in person, online, via groups or events for professionals, or through social media. Use several channels to interact with new prospects while keeping up with your current network.
5) Implementation and follow-up: It’s important to maintain contact with contacts and to follow through on any promises or activities you’ve made. As a result, building trust and maintaining positive connections is much simpler.
The secret to implementing networking into your business strategy is to make it a regular and strategic element of your company activity. By establishing clear objectives, assigning time and money, defining your target audience, employing a variety of channels, and following up and following through, you can successfully utilize your network to promote the expansion and success of your organization.
Tell us more about some of the networking trends that are most effective right now and what to look out for after COVID and global digitalization.
Since 2020, the use of hybrid and remote work styles has significantly increased. To put things in perspective, since the outbreak, offices in 10 major New York areas are just halfway occupied. Some have developed a yearning to mingle and feel connected in ways other than via screens, while others view these new job models as a godsend since they allow them to spend more time with their families. As a consequence of the circumstance, new trends have evolved, including:
1) An increase in the usage of online platforms, such as LinkedIn and webinars, as well as social media in general. Several firms are starting to try new platforms like virtual reality meetings and interactive digital office solutions.
2) Remote work: As a consequence of the trend toward remote work, it has become more challenging to build and sustain in-person interactions. But, it has also given rise to fresh possibilities for online networking, such as the creation of communities and organizations dedicated to certain professions and hobbies.
3) New social gatherings: In reaction to the epidemic, businesses are actively seeking for methods to maintain intracompany links, retain corporate culture, and promote knowledge and idea exchange. Several businesses and individuals have started hosting online courses, panels, and social hours as virtual networking events. In a recent study, participants highlighted cutting-edge ideas like online video games.
4) The importance of networking skills: With fewer possibilities for face-to-face networking, it is more crucial than ever to be able to interact with people and build connections online. This involves the ability to build rapport, communicate effectively, and maintain contact.
We developed Covve to support you in honing your abilities and forming relationships with others in this challenging new networking environment.
What projects are you currently working on at Covve, and are there any chances for collaborations or investors? Any further information which you want to share with our readers?
Our current emphasis is on establishing relationships with companies so they may use our technologies as part of their digital offerings. We are also working with industry specialists to better address the networking needs particular to the business.
On the product front, we work closely with our most devoted customers and corporate clients to enhance our offerings and maintain the experience of the greatest relationship management. This involves developing new networking products like Covve Events, which we introduced in September at a sizable event to foster participant networking, as well as regularly updating our current networking products.
Our app ecosystem is already used by several top worldwide brands including PwC, Nokia, Delta Air Lines, and a host of others. Our mission is to keep providing professionals with the resources they need to create and maintain their contacts’ networks as effectively as possible.
