Networking is finding the right people with the right resources and having them help you get the word out.
Right people + Right resources = Success
By yourself, you are nowhere near as effective as when you have a network of contacts and friends working together to help promote you or your new venture. Networking is as easy as making new friends. If you can make new friends, then you can network. But making new friends does take work. It’s not magic.
How do we do this? Let’s break it down into 3 important sections:
- Identify your value
- Build your network
- Leverage your network
IDENTIFY YOUR VALUE
Step 1: Make Yourself Valuable by Helping Others
Make it a point to provide helpful information / advice / support to at least one person each day. This is a major stumbling block for people because of the personal investment it requires, but once you realize the multiplier effect that’s attached to each of your efforts, you will be surprised at why more people aren’t doing this.
Just help others. Quite often you’ll hear people voicing their concerns in public forums or even on twitter. If it takes a few minutes of your time to point them in the right direction, do it right there and then.
Summary: You have to prove your value to people who are vastly more influential than you – this translates into building your own worth by playing with the smaller fish first. It’s a step-by-step process. Continue reading
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