It's Who You Know, 2nd Edition

Introduction

Network – Connect – Collaborate – Succeed

How many times have you been told that ‘you really have to network', that networking is ‘essential for your growth and personal success'?

Do you jump up and down with joy at this idea, eager to get out there and meet new people? Or do you cringe with horror, thinking you'd much rather be spending your time doing something you actually enjoy or something that seems more productive than notching up a couple more friends on your Facebook page?

The truth is, the adage ‘It's not what you know, it's who you know' has more weight now than ever.

Today ‘busy' is a status update and everyone is your ‘friend', so it's harder to make connections that really count, beyond adding to the number of followers on your Twitter account.

Job vacancies are filled before they are advertised and previously unthought-of collaborations appear out of nowhere to create new and competitive markets and steal market share. Add to this the constant pressure of coming up with new ideas to help us remain relevant and influential in a saturated business landscape and it's no wonder most of us hide behind our computers and feel paralysed with fear.

SURE, NETWORKING STILL MATTERS, BUT YOURNETWORK MATTERS MORE.

So who is in your network and how much input or influence do they have on what you're doing or trying to achieve? How well do they really, truly know you? How much can they help you?

There is no doubt that building a sales lead generation list is critical ...