As I look over many of my clients and presentations from 2012, many of them have one common factor: Lou. Lou is a true connector. He knows people and those people like AND respect him. You could play the “6 degrees of Kevin Bacon” game with Lou and just change the name. How does he do it and how does it help him? Let’s find out…
We have all been to networking events and witnessed people collecting as many business cards as they can. It’s a sense of pride and accomplishment. These men and women are “collectors” because they collect business cards.
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| Business Card Overload! |
Contrast that thought process with Lou. Lou works to connect other people. In the book Tipping Point,author Malcolm Gladwell describes connectors “as the kinds of people who know everyone and possess special gifts for bringing the world together.” That’s Lou. But how does he do it and why?
- Helping Others – From the minute I met Lou he gave me 2 – 3 people I should meet. He doesn’t connect for money; he does it because it helps both parties involved. Keep it in the forefront of your mind that you want to help people and you can be a connector.
- Social Media – Lou has more than 2000 connections on LinkedIn…and he manages them. Once you have made a connection with someone, continue to reach out to that person. Send an email. Call. Text. When they change jobs, reconnect with them. LinkedIn is about connections, not bragging rights.
- Attitude – Humility. Kindness. Happiness. These are the attitudes of connectors. When you are connecting someone, be happy about it. You are directly influencing careers and companies. People want to be around people who exude this type of energy. Connecting should be a joy, not a job.
Lou refers me to someone. That person hires me and refers me to someone else. That new client then refers me to someone else. Thanks to Lou, my network continues to build like the synapses of the brain. Be like Lou. Grow your network by giving back.
Scientifically Speaking, of course.
Next Week: Top 5 Twitter Business Tools
