If you have ever taken some time to assess who you know in your life and take stock of the relationship capital that currently exists, that’s great because it’s important. Taking the concept of who you know one step further is taking some time to assess who you want to know.
Our existing relationships can be a great source of inspiration, assistance, accountability, love and friendship. Small business owners need lots of all of these things. There’s come a point, however, where you need to make new connections to move yourself and your business further. This doesn’t mean that your old relationships aren’t important anymore, it just means that you are ready for a new level that only a new perspective and new advice can give you.
This is the point where having a list of people that you want to know is important. It’s important to prepare your list of people that you want to meet as soon as possible because you never know when you may get a surprise introduction. Paul Lawrence wrote about one such encounter in a recent newsletter from Early To Rise. He told the story of a publisher that he was really excited about meeting and knew that publisher would be a great connection for him. It turns out the publisher wanted a program written on a subject that Paul was not an expert in. He didn’t let that stop him because he had a plan for how he would handle this request and he accepted the offer.
The thing is, you just never know when you are going to meet someone that can make an impact on your business and your life so you need to be prepared. For instance, ask some questions regarding why a certain relationship would be important to you. Can they be a mentor? Can they be a partner? Can they get your message out? You get the point. So ask yourself why.
Other areas of planning involve understanding your value proposition. Or in other words, why should this person spend some time with you. You have to be able to articulate this quickly. More importantly, have some ideas ready for how you can create value for the connection. One other thing to consider is the degrees of separation that this person may have to you. Can you touch base with the person through social media? Are they going to be at an event that you can attend? Do you know someone who can make an introduction?
I can’t stress the importance of being prepared enough. This includes being careful what you wear when you go out. I have certainly screwed this up a time or two by heading into the office in a pair of shorts and t-shirt with the idea of just going in to pick something up only to find myself being introduced to an individual with a high level of influence. They may or may not have judged me by my appearance but nevertheless I was self conscious about it.
Think about who you want to know today. Who’s out there creating massive value in your area of passion and interest? Make your list today, put your plan together and then work on getting connected.