| Do
you attend business networking events in order to collect
business leads that can open doors for you? Well, you
may be wasting your time. Let me explain.
I
know you have heard many people talk about business
networking, and how necessary it is in gathering business
leads and making meaningful connections.
Perhaps
you have been to a few business-networking events and
are expecting to make a few good contacts yourself.
There are plenty of books on this very subject.
In
my book No
Condition Is Permanent, I talk about being a small
fish in a big pond. I even share some excellent tips
on how to swim with the big fish.
But,
my first piece of advice to you is to rethink your business
networking strategies. My question is…can the connections
you make really help you to get ahead?
If
you are in a circle of people who are out there hassling
to make contacts, then you yourself are just running
in circle. Now, I am not saying that some of the people
in the circle may not turn out to be a good resource
for you.
But
you may want to reach for a level where those contacts
have never been before. So, avoid networking with people
who are hassling to get your business.
It’s
about creating long-term relationships that can pull
you up. Now, notice I am talking about making the connection
versus getting favors.
I
don’t mind giving my business and advice to others.
In fact, I have done plenty of that. I outsource almost
everything in my office to other small businesses.
But
there comes a time when you have to realize the people
you hang around with may not be in a position to help
you get to the next level. You need to seek out influential
people who can swing some doors open for you. Here’s
how to do so:
- Do something to get on the radar
of those in a position to assist you. Speaking for the National
Speakers Association automatically put me in touch
with Les Brown, Mark Victor Hansen and the like.
My book put me in contact with many influential people.
I am now in the process of negotiating terms for a
motion picture. Well, I just had to brag a little.
Okay, you may not be in a position to write a book
or keynote a big conference yet. But I’m certain there’s
something you can do. All it takes is a little thinking
outside the box—a little creativity.
Mark Victor Hansen wanted to meet with a mover and
shaker in his field. He decided to purchase a first-class
airline ticket just to sit next to the person he wanted
to make a connection with.
- Instead of attending business networking
events to collect business leads, become a private
investigator. Do a little investigating to find out what challenges
are facing the people's whose attention you are trying
to capture.
Then write an article about it and offer some solutions.
Send it to a key player in your field. You only need
one key contact to introduce you to the rest of the
people in that group. Does that make sense to you?
You may have an idea to help raise money and awareness
for a cause that you know is important to some influential
people. Contact them and let them know about it.
- Brainstorm for ideas. Here’s a clever
way to come up with ideas that can help you contact
a key influencer: Take a piece of paper and write your goals across the
top of it; then jot down every way you might be able
to make the connection. Be outrageous. Go for it!
But
remember, as you strive to make those meaningful contacts,
definitely be available to be a meaningful contact to
someone else. And I am dead serious about that.
Success
is a two-way street. You must have one hand reaching
for the top and another reaching to help pull someone
up from the bottom.
I
wish you incredible success!
Rene Godefroy
|
