If you've heard of the Pareto Principle where 80% of consequences stem from 20% of causes, the same principle can be used when it comes to networking and meeting people. The ratio can help you to nurture existing relationships and create new ones.

John Corcoran thinks most of us don't have our priorities set when it comes to networking.

If you were to measure the amount of time most people spend on networking activities aimed at meeting new people vs. the amount of time they spend following up with the people they already know, you’d be shocked at how imbalanced it is.

People spend too much time trying to meet new people and too little time following up with and nurturing relationships with people they already know.

In fact, your efforts should be the other way around: use the 80/20 rule (aka the Pareto Principle) to further and develop relationships with your existing network.

Corcoran explains that if you spend most of your time connecting and catching up with people you've already met, they'll most likely introduce you to others. By comparison, spending a lot of time at networking events with strangers you don't speak to often won't get you as far.