Not friends necessarily, business connections—influential people who can send you referrals, introduce you to key people in your target market, give you information or advice, or inspire you.
Your business network, which you should continually expand and improve.
Start by identifying categories of people you’d like to know. “Business leaders in the health care field,” for example. Then, make a list of candidates—names of people in that field—and learn as much as possible about them and their industry or market.
Then, find someone who knows them and ask them to introduce you. Or, reach out yourself, tell them you’ve heard good things about them, and want to introduce yourself.
Ask them something about their company or association or news about their industry. Ask questions. Let them do most of the talking. Listen and learn.
Follow-up with an email telling them you enjoyed meeting them.
What’s next?
You might see an article about the health care industry and send a copy to your new contact. Or write an article and send that.
You might follow up with a question, ask for advice, or invite them to speak at an upcoming event where you know the organizer.
If you meet someone else who knows them, you might compare notes. Learn more about the contact, what they do, who they know, and what they want. If you hit it off, you might invite them to coffee. Or that might come later. Months later.
Stay in touch with them. Be of value to them. Find ways to help them or someone close to them. Don’t ask for anything just yet. That time will come.
Or it won’t.
You don’t know what will happen and you might need to meet many people before you find one who clicks with you.
But one might be all you need.
