Well Connected: An Unconventional Approach to Building Genuine, Effective Business Relationships

Well Connected: An Unconventional Approach to Building Genuine, Effective Business Relationships

by Gordon S. Curtis
Released July 2010
Publisher(s): Jossey-Bass
ISBN: 9780470577943

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Book description

Achieve your goals by selectively engaging the right people and connecting well with them

Smart executives who want to reach virtually any business goal-from raising capital to finding sales leads to finding the perfect job-know that networking is the key to their success. But traditional networking approaches-meet as many people as possible, amass huge numbers of "connections" and "friends" in your LinkedIn and Facebook networks-rarely produce more than a handful of relationships that pay off. In Well-Connected, networking maven and coach Gordon Curtis explains that the secret to building truly effective relationships is to narrow--rather than widen--your network. His proven methodology for building key relationships that deliver results every time emphasizes selectively engaging the right people and connecting with them well : First, identify a "critical enabler," someone who has access to the knowledge you need and is inclined to help you; second, unlock the critical enabler's willingness and ability to provide what you need by offering her something valuable before you ask her or him for anything.

  • Well-Connected reveals a breakthrough approach to networking that delivers predictable, positive results

  • Filled with success stories, the book provides an accessible action plan for all readers

  • Networking maven Gordon Curtis has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Sunday Globe, Fast Company Magazine

Well-Connected serves as the playbook for sophisticated business people who know there's a better way to connect with the right people to get things done better and faster.

Table of contents

  1. Copyright
  2. Praise for Well Connected
  3. 1. Redefining Networking for the Twenty-First Century
    1. 1.1. Why Does It Look So Easy?
    2. 1.2. What's Wrong with Networking Now?
    3. 1.3. What Is the Right Person–Right Approach Method?
    4. 1.4. Who's the Right Person? What's the Right Approach?
    5. 1.5. So What Does It All Mean?
  4. 2. Prep Work: RETHINKING YOUR NETWORKING STRATEGY
    1. 2.1. Using A Shotgun
    2. 2.2. Write And Wait
    3. 2.3. Less Haste, More Progress
    4. 2.4. Why Can't We Just Get Started?
    5. 2.5. Stepping Back to Move Forward: What Do You Need to Ask?
      1. 2.5.1. What's the Goal?
      2. 2.5.2. Are You Indulging in One-to-Many Blasts?
      3. 2.5.3. Are You Spinning Your Wheels at Events?
      4. 2.5.4. How Long Does It All Take?
    6. 2.6. What Are You Communicating?
    7. 2.7. What's Your Message?
    8. 2.8. Who Is Your Audience?
    9. 2.9. Who's Your Target?
    10. 2.10. How Successful Have You Been?
    11. 2.11. Are You Hitting Your Target?
    12. 2.12. What's the Bottom Line?
  5. 3. Articulating Your Objective
    1. 3.1. So What Is Your Objective?
      1. 3.1.1. How Do You Refine Your Objectives?
      2. 3.1.2. How Do You Measure the Accuracy of an Objective Statement?
      3. 3.1.3. Real-Life Challenge: Escaping Generalities
    2. 3.2. What's Your Objective?
    3. 3.3. Real-Life Challenge: Articulating Your Objectives
      1. 3.3.1. Business Development: Separate Searches, Multiple Results
      2. 3.3.2. Job Search: Avoiding Subjective Language
      3. 3.3.3. Information-Gathering: Helping People Help You
    4. 3.4. Where Does Articulating Your Objective Lead You?
  6. 4. The Right Person: IDENTIFYING YOUR CRITICAL ENABLER
    1. 4.1. How Do You Select and Engage a Critical Enabler?
      1. 4.1.1. Step 1: Decide What You Need to Know About Your Target
      2. 4.1.2. Real-Life Challenge: Justify the Job
      3. 4.1.3. Step 2: Locate the Intelligence You Need
      4. 4.1.4. Real-Life Challenge: An Embarrassment of Riches
      5. 4.1.5. Step 3: Screen the Pool of Potential Critical Enablers
      6. 4.1.6. Real-Life Challenge: Aim for the Bull's-Eye
      7. 4.1.7. Real-Life Challenge: Find Out How Things Really Work
    2. 4.2. So What Defines Your Critical Enabler?
  7. 5. The Referral: LANDING AN INTRODUCTION TO A CRITICAL ENABLER
    1. 5.1. How Do You Manage Referrals?
      1. 5.1.1. Making It Easy
      2. 5.1.2. Real-Life Challenge: Create an Introduction
      3. 5.1.3. Spreading Your Nets
      4. 5.1.4. Real-Life Challenge: Find Potential Customers
      5. 5.1.5. Taking the Initiative
      6. 5.1.6. Real-Life Challenge: Stand Out from the Crowd
    2. 5.2. What Does It Look Like from the Other Side?
    3. 5.3. Real-Life Challenge: Dig Ever Deeper
  8. 6. The Right Approach: PROVIDING VALUE TO YOUR CRITICAL ENABLER
    1. 6.1. Where Do You Start?
    2. 6.2. How Do You Know What to Offer?
      1. 6.2.1. Things You Already Know
      2. 6.2.2. Business-Building Tips
        1. 6.2.2.1. Finding a Way In
        2. 6.2.2.2. Making New Ties
        3. 6.2.2.3. Breaking into Government
      3. 6.2.3. Expansion Ideas
        1. 6.2.3.1. Cleanliness Is Next to Success
        2. 6.2.3.2. Building Security
        3. 6.2.3.3. Pinpoint Location
      4. 6.2.4. Potential Alliance Partners
        1. 6.2.4.1. Finding a Buyer
        2. 6.2.4.2. Finding Patients
      5. 6.2.5. News of the Competition
      6. 6.2.6. Forging Links in a Chain
        1. 6.2.6.1. Getting a Foot in the Door
        2. 6.2.6.2. Switching Industries
      7. 6.2.7. Membership Leads
        1. 6.2.7.1. Getting Up to Speed
        2. 6.2.7.2. Finding a Connection
      8. 6.2.8. Common Ground
      9. 6.2.9. Things You Can Do
    3. 6.3. What Else Can You Try?
    4. 6.4. What Do You Have to Offer?
  9. 7. The Right Person: SELECTING A CRITICAL ENABLER WHO IS INCLINED, AVAILABLE, AND LIKE-MINDED
    1. 7.1. What Makes Someone the Right Person?
      1. 7.1.1. Inclination
      2. 7.1.2. Availability
      3. 7.1.3. Like-Mindedness
    2. 7.2. What Next?
  10. 8. Putting It All Together
    1. 8.1. How Do You Make the Method Work?
      1. 8.1.1. Preparation: Decide Where to Look
        1. 8.1.1.1. Sari
        2. 8.1.1.2. Arthur
        3. 8.1.1.3. Nina
      2. 8.1.2. Setting Objectives: Know What You Want
        1. 8.1.2.1. Sari
        2. 8.1.2.2. Arthur
        3. 8.1.2.3. Nina
      3. 8.1.3. Identifying Critical Enablers: Find the Key
        1. 8.1.3.1. Sari
        2. 8.1.3.2. Arthur
        3. 8.1.3.3. Nina
      4. 8.1.4. Obtaining Referrals: Get a Foot in the Door
        1. 8.1.4.1. Sari
        2. 8.1.4.2. Arthur
        3. 8.1.4.3. Nina
      5. 8.1.5. Developing Gestures of Progressive Reciprocity: Make It Worthwhile to Help
        1. 8.1.5.1. Sari
        2. 8.1.5.2. Arthur
        3. 8.1.5.3. Nina
      6. 8.1.6. Making Sure You Have the Right Person
        1. 8.1.6.1. Sari
        2. 8.1.6.2. Arthur
        3. 8.1.6.3. Nina
      7. 8.1.7. Going for the Gold: Enough Enabling; Let's Make a Deal
        1. 8.1.7.1. Sari
        2. 8.1.7.2. Arthur
        3. 8.1.7.3. Nina
    2. 8.2. What Does It All Mean?
  11. 9. Conclusion: USING THE RIGHT PERSON–RIGHT APPROACH METHOD TO GAIN CLARITY, CONTROL, AND CONFIDENCE
    1. 9.1. Why Pursue Clarity?
    2. 9.2. How Do You Maintain Control?
      1. 9.2.1. Avoiding Exclusion
      2. 9.2.2. Minding Your Own Referrals
    3. 9.3. What Does It Take to Keep Up Your Confidence?
    4. 9.4. What's the Take-Away?
  12. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  13. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Product information

  • Title: Well Connected: An Unconventional Approach to Building Genuine, Effective Business Relationships
  • Author(s): Gordon S. Curtis
  • Release date: July 2010
  • Publisher(s): Jossey-Bass
  • ISBN: 9780470577943