How to know ‘who to know’ to build success
Whenever you ask successful people how they got to where they are you often hear the words uttered including; hard work, determination; luck and one that’s often repeated and emphasised upon constantly is who they know or their connections. As it stands it is not simply what you know but who you know and the two work together to translate into achieving your goals.
Now for the average person who did not perhaps attend private school and is well connected to people with influence it is sometimes not easy to get connected to the people who can be instrumental in your success. Now let’s not be mistaken buy thinking that just because you attended private school you are instantly going to be more successful than say a state school student! There are many other factors to take into consideration to come to such a conclusion. Factors such as your will and determination because let’s face it you could have had the best education but if your work ethic does not match, someone with a basic education but with great determination can be more successful. On the other hand private school education does put many people at a higher advantage especially later in life when wanting to work for the likes of government bodies or prestigious law firms. Privately educated students also tend to get into the higher ranked universities like Oxford and Cambridge despite reports suggesting that state school students get better degrees than private school pupils with same A-levels.
Now back to the point of how to know who to know. So we’ve established we need to have god connections in order to achieve success whether in business or working career but often times we wonder how do we build these useful connections? How do we position ourselves amongst influencers? Where do we find these people to connect with?
There are plenty of resources out there to help. Thanks to the internet a multitude of information is accessible to all that are looking and it just takes a little digging. To highlight a few mediums you can take advantage of in order to make valuable connections you can refer to the below list:
Sites like LinkedIn provide an inside access to ‘who’s who’ in your industry. For example if you are trying to break into the financial industry you can easily send a message to the director of finance for a large multinational company. Needless to say they probably get tons of these on a daily basis so being creative is key!
- Business networking events
Attending business networking events is very useful as these are often intimate settings where you can actually speak and connect with people and ask all the questions you need answers for.
- Trade shows
Trade shows allow you to speak to your competitors or potential competitors giving you a firsthand experience of what they do. This is also a great opportunity to meet people and generate leads.
- Apps
There are many business apps available on the market and one which stands out today is Meetup. This free app allows you to join other like minded groups of people in your local area ranging from business clubs to leisure and sport.
- Social media
Social media is one of the best things to come out of the internet with the likes of Facebook and Twitter allowing you to connect on an informal level. This also gives you an insight into the hobbies and interests of whoever you wish to connect with which can be a great ice-breaker when starting conversations.
Are there any other means you have found successful in creating great connections? Feel free to share.
Image by: Internet Association on Flickr
