I’d rather have 10 helpful individuals in my network than 1,000 people who aren’t so inclined. I’ve learned that a network is only as helpful as the people within it.

For instance, you can be connected to Bill Gates, Mark Cuban, or another idolized success, but if the relationship isn’t strong enough to help you out, is it really that valuable? It’s important to not get distracted by aiming for relationships with big-name players in your industry (in fact, it can be a dangerous route business-wise). Focus on growing a network slowly with the right people, and you’ll find that you create opportunities for yourself.

Here are seven ways you can create a network of people who will consistently help you:

1. Stay Top of Mind

The No. 1 strategy when building any network is to stay top of mind. If you’re the person or company that comes to mind in the critical moment when people are able to either recommend you or serve as brand advocates, your opportunities will increase substantially.

There are several ways to do this. I use the words you’re reading right now — my content. The articles that I write for my Forbes and Inc. columns, as well as the pieces I publish on other relevant outlets, remind people that I exist and enable me to share my insights and experiences. To do this effectively, I work with my team’s custom knowledge management system to streamline the content creation process. Think about what you can do to stay noticed, and make an effort to do it regularly.

2. Expect Nothing in Return

Just the other day, I helped a contact of mine obtain an opportunity that will be very valuable for his new business. Afterwards, he thanked me, said he recognized the quid pro quo opportunity, and sent over an introduction. My response was that I didn’t do it for the quid pro quo; I did it because he deserved the opportunity. Maintaining the attitude that you always warrant something in return will prevent your relationships from becoming valuable.

3. Make the Relationship Meaningful

There are a variety of ways to make a relationship meaningful — but the one I find the most value in is the differentiating factor. What’s something you can offer a connection that’s outside the norm? It could be as simple as sending her a note on her birthday or, going a step further, helping her get a new job or opportunity that would open a lot of doors.

Over the years, I’ve realized that by doing something different — something that exceeds their expectations, big or little — our relationships become much more meaningful over time. They end up becoming some of our strongest connections — even our closest friends.

4. Focus on Transparency

It’s hard to want to help someone when you think he’s full of shit. What tends to work is having a sense of trust and understanding of who you are and how you work. To combat this, I believe in the philosophy of being as transparent as I can with contacts so there aren’t any surprises.

If somebody asks me whether he should send an introduction to a potential client and I know it’s not a good fit, I explain my concerns and recommend not reaching out. I’ll usually offer a bit more context as to why it won’t be beneficial, and the person is typically grateful that I’m saving him from investing time on a dead end. The more transparent you are with your contacts — both in terms of what you can deliver and how your experience can help them — the more referral opportunities will come your way.

5. Make Sure Your Connections Know What’s Valuable to You

For someone to truly be able to help you, he has to understand what’s actually valuable to you. Sometimes, people in my network send me introductions just to feel as though they’re “checking the box” of doing me a favor. However, when I end up getting on the phone with an individual who was never the right fit in the first place, it wastes time for both of us.

All it takes is simply telling people what’s valuable to you. Ninety percent of the time, before I get off the phone with new contacts, I ask how I can be of help. In return, I offer ways I think they could be helpful. You’d be surprised how simply clarifying this for people can help them identify opportunities that they wouldn’t have thought of otherwise.

6. Show Appreciation

From a young age, my mother taught me not to expect someone to continually do nice things for me unless I showed appreciation the first time around, whether that was in the form of a card, note, or gift. I think that lesson translates well to business — if somebody helps you out and you don’t show appreciation, don’t expect her help again. No one wants to help someone who feels entitled.

Back when we were working with LinkedIn to help recommend people to test its new publishing platform, Noah Kagan, founder of SumoMe, reached out to me about the opportunity. Noah’s an excellent writer, and I’ve always thought highly of him, so I was more than happy to recommend him. He then sent a package with a note thanking me for helping him out, expressing his appreciation. I remember thinking, “Noah’s a busy guy, so the fact that he took the time to do this means he truly valued my help.”

7. Remember: Small Gestures Are Just as Valuable

It’s easy to get overly excited on a call or in a meeting and say, “We’re going to take over the world together!” Sometimes, however, a list of things that you’ve discussed is hard to tackle all at once. Typically, I try to do a couple immediately (grab the low-hanging fruit) to show that I will take the time — and prove that I’m not just full of crap. This can go a long way toward building a relationship because it signals that you weren’t just talking a big game, and it can fuel a relationship that might not have gotten off the ground otherwise.

As you meet new people and build your network, keep in mind the value of each relationship. Reaching out to someone you’ve met once when you need something isn’t going to build trust — you need to offer your resources to open the door for mutual benefit down the road. If you lend a helping hand, the opportunities that come your way might surprise you. （Source: The Creator/Maker Friendly www.forbes.com）

John Hall is the CEO of Influence & Co., a company that specializes in expertise extraction and knowledge management that is used to fuel marketing efforts.