The power of an introduction

When I think about networking, developing a network or engaging with people, I often find myself thinking about how I get to the people that I don’t know. This is a common mistake. I’ve put a lot of thought into this and I keep coming back to this point. People like helping people. Start with who you know and work outwards.

The best route to the most relevant people for your network, is through those people that you know. When you have built a pitch that truly articulates you, have practised it with those that you hold close and you have asked for an introduction to someone there would be some mutual value in meeting, you have begun a chain of events.

• Your pitch will be validated or influenced by someone whose opinion counts and you will have live feedback

• You will be tapping into a whole lifetime of contacts that you would otherwise have no way of knowing.

• You will be introduced to someone relevant and filtered by a mutual connection, which is a warm endorsement. People do not recommend people they don’t rate.   

The next step is to follow this as far as it goes. If your Chairman introduces you to two investors and a Chief Executive, make sure that you meet them all and then in turn ask them for introductions in the same way. Very quickly you will grow your network and populate it with people who are more relevant to you than pitching a post out into the world of social media in the hope of being noticed.

As you are building your network, stay connected to them with MyExecLoop.