The REAL Most Powerful Networking Tool Known To Man …
So by now you’re probably wondering what it is?
The answer is this; be a good person.
haha. you probably think I’m kidding I’m not. the most powerful networking tactic is to volunteer yourself to do small favors for friends. They don’t have to be big, it could be as simple as saving someone a seat in a conference or showing up at their office with a bottle of wine on a glum day. be nice and people reciprocate.
To go even further, I will show you what I do. Whenever I meet anyone that i think is a serious person and a potential good connection, I voluntarily introduce them to at least 2 people and as many as 10 people - without them asking. Of course the people need to be relevant to each other but they don’t have to have a specific purpose. Say you just met an entrepreneur in Kansas, you then introduce him to another entreprenuer in Kansas. Maybe they will be friends but they will appreciate it.
What is the effect of this? Well everyone you introduce will think you are super well connected and thus when you need something will be more inclined to help you out because they think you will be valuable to them in the future? Everyone loves you and it doesn’t matter if the people you connect ever do any business. They appreciate the gesture because no one ever does this. Heck, you can keep introducing people to the same 10 friends you already have. Sure you may not be a super networker but people will think you are and act accordingly.
More so, very few people ever volunteer referrals. This is for several reasons, first people are lazy, second people generally are not outwardly nice and volunteer to help, people are worried you may burn their friends, people want to take a cut and broker things.
If you actively volunteer introductions, advice or info, people are appreciate and remember that. They will give your name to people that need your help. If you are lucky you will find people that will volunteer to make 1 connection, if you are lucky. Most people you have to ask to tap their network. If you want to be a super connector, you must volunteer your network and make a flurry of referrals. It will overwhelm them, that is good. That means they will think you are a good guy and know a lot of people. One day you will need a favor from them and they will gladly do it because you spent 2 minutes and introduced them to 5 people they probably talked to once and then forgot about.
Everyone wants to know a super networker. You can be one now.
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