We all know that relationships play a large role in our personal and professional success. In fact, if you ask business leaders and authors Andrew Sobel and Jerold Panas, they’ll tell you those relationships aren’t just important – they’re everything.

Though technology has made it easier than ever to reach out to someone, simply adding someone as a connection on LinkedIn or subscribing to their newsletter isn’t enough to establish a valuable long-lasting relationship. You need to step it up to make sure you rise above the noise and stand out.

In their new book, Power Relationships: 26 Irrefutable Laws for Building Extraordinary Relationships, Sobel and Panas outline steps you can take to engage others and cultivate meaningful relationships that help you, and others, get ahead.

“In our business, at home, and among friends, relationships touch our lives in wondrous ways,” write the duo. “They are the threads that weave through the fabric of our entire being.”

Let’s take a look at the Top 7 laws that Sobel and Panas say will help you engage to your fullest, excel professionally and establish lasting connections.

Enthusiasm is Contagious

Whether you are briefing clients or interviewing for a new job, bringing a high level of enthusiasm to the meeting will make you stand out and brighten others’ moods. Sometimes someone who is down can be inspired to hang in there by simply infusing enthusiasm into the conversation. If you’re viewed as a dynamo in your social network, you’ll have an attractive aura and people will want to work with you.

Treat Your Prospects Like Clients

There is no better way to illustrate to a prospect what it’s like doing business with you than to treat them like a client. No one really likes being sold to, so by getting to know their business, meeting with them regularly, bringing them new ideas and introducing them to people in your network, there’s a good chance that prospect will become a client. Giving people attention and building trust will make them want to do business with you.

Be Unafraid to Ask

Have you ever wanted to connect with a powerful leader but thought they were out of your league? It’s time to get some confidence. Interact with them on Twitter, comment on their blog, attend events where they are speaking or drop them an email to compliment them on one of their achievements. If you are pleasantly persistent and work to cultivate the relationship, it could open doors to something more. But don’t expect it to happen overnight – building these types of relationships can take years.

Make Them Curious

Some people make the mistake of assuming the more information they give another person, the better. In fact, it’s more beneficial to leave some things unsaid than tell them everything they need (and sometimes don’t need) to know. Try to have a fresh perspective on issues and say unexpected, honest things. If you are telling someone about your business, stick to talking about what you do and the results rather than droning on about the process. By giving brief answers and hinting at things, people will hang on your every word instead of becoming bored with what you have to say.

Know the Right Questions to Ask

By asking thought-provoking questions, you can shift the focus to the other person and ensure you stick to important topics instead of going off on a tangent. Well developed questions can help you learn more about a client’s business and their career challenges, allowing you to offer valuable solutions and expand their perception of what you can do for them. Here are a few examples of quality questions, be sure to rephrase and present them in a way that’s natural to you:

• How did you get your start in your career?
• What are you most excited about right now?
• What are the most important things you and I should discuss in the next 10 minutes or so?

Relationships Require Engagement

There are no shortcuts when it comes to relationship building. Sometimes the more eager a prospect sounds on an initial call, the less likely it is they’ll end up buying something from you. Don’t be afraid to slow things down to build a sustainable relationship. Make sure you have taken the time to build trust and have learned enough about their challenges and goals to move forward intelligently. It also takes time for them to learn, and appreciate, your true value.

Change the Environment

There is a reason why so many professionals hit the golf course together – getting out of the office into a new environment can have big benefits for relationship building. Whether it is a team building retreat or an afternoon at the ball game, you will end up getting to know each other better and discussing things that wouldn’t come up in a stuffier setting. Shared experiences can intensify and deepen a relationship.

Though you ultimately benefit from power relationships, it’s important to remember you shouldn’t be the sole focus. To establish rapport, you need to learn more about the person and they need to learn more about you. It is essential to build real bonds, ones that extend far beyond exchanging business cards at a mixer or an unsolicited email that’s never followed up. Quality of contacts always trumps quantity.

“The other person’s agenda – as long as it is consistent with your values and ethics – is your true north when it comes to building relationships,” writes Sobel and Panas. “It’s your starting point for adding value. Know the other person’s agenda and help them accomplish it.”