Who Do You Know?
How many times have you heard – it’s not what you know but who you know?
There is little argument that our networks are a critical component to our success. These are the folks that we call when we need something.
And for that reason we attend networking events, we collect business cards. We connect on LinkedIn, Facebook, and other social media and networking sites. We measure our networking success by the size of our friend list, Twitter followers, or number of LinkedIn connections. And when we get that big list we convince ourselves that we have a great network.
Several years ago someone changed the way I think about my networking.“. . . it’s not about who you know . . . it’s about who knows you“.
Wow, a Newton moment . . you know like the apple falling out 
of the tree. When you think about the value of your network this makes perfect sense.
of the tree. When you think about the value of your network this makes perfect sense.- Who in your network is giving you business referrals – people that know you.
- Who is inviting you to community and business events –people that know you.
- Who looks to you as a resource – people that know you.
How can increase the number of people who know you?
- Strive to develop relationships – not just meeting and collecting cards.
- Be that referral source.
- Be active and involved in industry organizations, business and civic clubs, the local Chamber of Commerce.
- Consider leadership roles to increase not only your value, but your exposure.
This Week
Take a look at your network, the people that you know. Identify five (5) casual acquaintances, people that you know but that may not know you (you know what I mean). Develop an action plan to more fully develop those relationships.
. . . go have an Awesome Week
Tom Trabue
theNextStep
theNextStep
photo - Flickr CC2.0 Frits Ahlefeldt-Laurvig