The holiday season is here and it’s decision time. Sure, your to-do list is endless, end of year pressures are mounting, and your family responsibilities increase this time of year. But don’t be too quick to hit the delete key on those holiday networking invitations. Networking is one of the critical extra miles nearly every successful business person travels regularly.

Get that distasteful image of the old “business-card swap” out of your mind. Effective networking takes many forms. Happy hour with a valued colleague/friend to celebrate the season and renew your relationship. A small group lunch with people who share a common interest (sports, faith, investing, etc.). Company parties, monthly professional association meetings, and social mixers can be rich with possibilities. In fact, you don’t even have to get in your car. The telephone is still a great way of reaching out and connecting with people who are important to you.

On the other end of the spectrum, don’t fall into the trap of over committing and spreading yourself too thin. Apply the timeless marketing principle of “isolate and dominate” to networking by identifying just one or two groups that are very important to you (isolate), and becoming a primary and visible contributor to those groups by serving on the Board or becoming a sponsor (dominate).

The key is to actively nurture your valued relationships and continually develop new ones. And be sure to stay loyal to your RSVPs. Someone’s working hard to plan, organize and make these occasions special for you, so commit to only those you’re certain you can attend.

Never considered yourself a social butterfly? Here are five basic networking tips to make it easy:

• Be fully present with the person you are meeting (avoid looking around at who else is in the room)
• Ask questions about the person you’ve just met and really listen
• Determine if there is a common goal or interest you share
• Identify potential relationships where you both can benefit in some way – effective networking is all about the mutual give and take
• Agree to follow-up in some way

If you still aren’t convinced, think about it this way: networking is all about communication. And as a seasoned business executive, you know that communication is the central function of the marketing process. So networking is much more than socializing, it’s an effective method of marketing. And it’s especially power-packed in the business world because relationships, which are frequently formed by networking, drive a huge volume of business decisions.

Consider this fact: According to BNI, the world’s largest business networking organization, 4.9 million business referrals among their members has generated $1.9 billion worth of business since their inception. Networking is a valuable business tool.

So go the extra mile this holiday season. Accept one or two of those invitations to spend some time celebrating existing relationships or developing new ones. They may add to your exhaustion, but the benefits are immeasurable.