Do you want to expand your professional circle? How can you identify and connect with people who will benefit your professional growth?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Connecting with anyone\u2014from your peers to leaders in your field, to your friends of friends\u2014is arguably beneficial. The larger and more diverse your professional circle is, the more support you can receive, and the more people you can help in return.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Read about the four types of people<\/a> that should be in your professional circle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n There are four types of people with whom you should make an extra effort to network and get into your professional circle:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The most important people in your professional circle are the people who will help you to achieve your goals. <\/strong>This usually means professionals who have a direct connection to the field you aspire to succeed in. For instance, connecting with education professionals may help you achieve the goal of joining your local school board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In this section, we\u2019ll cover the three steps you need to take to successfully network with people<\/a> who can help you achieve your goals:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before you start to build a professional circle with people who can help you achieve your goals, you need to figure out what your goals actually are<\/em>. Ferrazzi sees setting goals as a three-step process:<\/p>\n\n\n\n First, you need to list your passions:<\/strong> the things you truly care about. Many people find that their passions are obvious: They know that they enjoy, for example, encouraging people to be more environmentally friendly. If you\u2019re struggling to identify your passions, take some quiet time to think deeply about who you are<\/a> and what you like to do.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n The second step of identifying your goals is listing your talents.<\/strong> Some people find it difficult to objectively assess their strengths: for example, if they lack confidence. For this reason, the best way to figure out where your talents lie is to ask trusted friends and family members what they think your strengths are.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Request that these people be brutally honest in their assessment of your abilities. If they aren\u2019t\u2014for instance, if they tell you that you are<\/em> good at something you\u2019re bad at to spare your feelings\u2014they\u2019re only setting you up for failure when you pursue goals that you\u2019re not qualified to achieve. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The final step in deciding upon your goals is comparing your list of passions and your list of strengths and identifying areas where they intersect.<\/strong> For instance, you may find that not only are you passionate about public speaking, your friends and family think you\u2019re good at it, too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you\u2019ve found these areas of intersection, set a professional goal related to one of them. <\/strong>For example, the passionate and skilled public speaker could set the goal of becoming a media spokesperson. By picking a goal that aligns with your skills and <\/em>passions, you\u2019re setting yourself up for both career success and happiness<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you\u2019ve identified your professional goal, the next step is to make what Ferrazzi calls a \u201cRelationship Action Plan\u201d (RAP). This is a written plan that details not only how you plan to achieve <\/em>your professional goals<\/a>, but who s<\/em>hould be in your professional circle to help you get there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To create your RAP, follow these four steps:<\/p>\n\n\n\n When creating and using your RAP, there are four rules:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rule #1: Make each goal as specific as possible.<\/strong> For instance, don\u2019t just write down \u201cmake lots of sales.\u201d Instead, write down a specific target and how you\u2019ll measure your success. For example, write, \u201cI want to increase my quarterly sales output substantially. I will consider myself to have achieved this goal once I\u2019m making $100,000 worth of sales each quarter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rule #2: Make the goals challenging, but achievable.<\/strong> For instance, if you made $50,000 worth of sales last month, don\u2019t set the goal of making $50,500 worth of sales next month\u2014that\u2019s far too easy. Likewise, don\u2019t challenge yourself to make $1 million worth of sales next month\u2014that\u2019s completely impossible. Instead, set a challenging yet reasonable revenue target number like $75,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If your goals are unchallenging, you\u2019ll find the process of achieving them boring and unfulfilling. Meanwhile, if they\u2019re challenging to the point of being impossible to achieve, you\u2019ll set yourself up for demotivation and disappointment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Rule #3: Regularly update your RAP as you complete your initial goals.<\/strong> Having an up-to-date plan for where you want to go next in your career (and who you should network with in the process) is useful no matter how much you\u2019ve already achieved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rule #4: Display your RAP somewhere prominent.<\/strong> For example, place it on your work desk or your fridge. Frequently seeing your RAP\u2014and, therefore, being reminded of your goals\u2014will help you stay focused. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The second type of contact that you should network with is mentors. Mentors are experienced professionals who are willing to support your career development. <\/strong>They can provide many kinds of assistance, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are various ways to find a mentor:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Super-connectors are people who have <\/strong>a huge professional circle\u2014contacts that you can ask to be introduced to. Super-connectors often gain such large numbers of contacts because they work in industries that require them to know lots of people\u2014for example, the media, or recruitment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Below are short profiles of eight types of super-connector, including tips on what you can offer them to encourage them to connect with you:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Super-Connector #1: The High-Class Restaurateur. <\/strong>High-class restaurants get dozens of customers each day, including influential people that it may be useful to network with. If you become close to these establishments\u2019 owners, they may offer to introduce you to the customers that they know best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What to offer them: <\/strong>Your custom. Eat at their restaurant regularly, bring all of your friends and family there, and, if possible, use it as a venue for events. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Super-Connector #2: The Headhunter. <\/strong>Headhunters and other recruiting professionals will know hundreds of people in the industry they work in, especially hiring managers. Connecting with them will come in handy if you find yourself looking for a job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What to offer them: <\/strong>Business leads. Offer to introduce them to a contact of yours in need of a job, or a contact who\u2019s a hiring manager in the industry that they cover. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Super-Connector #3: The Political Lobbyist. <\/strong>Lobbyists have contacts both in the political sphere and in the organizations that they lobby on behalf of\u2014for example, large corporations and nonprofits. <\/p>\n\n\n\n What to offer them: <\/strong>Practical support with their lobbying efforts. Lobbyists frequently organize events to bring together the politicians that they\u2019re trying to influence. Offer to help the lobbyist to organize these events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Super-Connector #4: The Politician. <\/strong>To generate support and get (or remain) elected, politicians connect with people from many walks of life, including community leaders, local business figures, the general public, and even celebrities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n What to offer them: <\/strong>Help with their campaign. For example, you could try to drum up support for the politician or their policies among your network or offer to host campaign events. (Note that you should only offer to help a politician who shares your values\u2014unless you want to gain a reputation for abandoning your morals just to get close to power.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Super-Connector #5: The Fundraiser. <\/strong>Fundraisers work for organizations such as political parties, nonprofits, and educational institutions. They usually have legions of wealthy contacts whom they can approach for financial support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What to offer them: <\/strong>Financial support for their cause. Either give to the cause yourself\u2014if you support it and are financially able to\u2014or introduce the fundraiser to people who are<\/em> able to donate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Super-Connector #6: The PR Professional. <\/strong>PR professionals generally have two types of contact: the famous people they represent, and the journalists they rely on to spread the word about their clients. <\/p>\n\n\n\n What to offer them: <\/strong>Business leads. Let the PR professional know if any of your contacts require their services. Alternatively, offer to introduce the PR professional to the journalists in your network. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Super-Connector #7: The Journalist. <\/strong>Journalists usually have many contacts in the industry they cover\u2014that\u2019s how they get their leads and story tips. They may also have contacts in the wider media industry\u2014for example, newspaper editors and news program producers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What to offer them: <\/strong>Story leads. If something important or interesting is happening in your industry or at your company, let the journalist know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Super-Connector #8: The Social Media Guru.<\/strong> So-called social media \u201cgurus\u201d are dominant voices in the online space. They often have thousands or sometimes millions of followers\u2014many of whom could be useful people to connect with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What to offer them: <\/strong>More exposure. Share their social media posts on your feed or timeline. Even people with large followings appreciate exposure to new audiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The final type of contact you should network with and try to add to your professional circle: <\/strong>individuals who are leaders in their industry and are possibly famous because of this (think of celebrity entrepreneurs such as Bill Gates or Elon Musk). <\/p>\n\n\n\n Networking with these individuals is useful for two reasons. First, you can probably learn a lot from them. <\/strong>Industry leaders are usually highly skilled and intelligent. Second, your connection with this prominent person may lead to more potential contacts approaching you.<\/strong> People will assume that since this impressive individual has deemed you worthy of their friendship, you must be special and therefore worth connecting with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first step in networking with prominent people is figuring out who the most notable people in your field are<\/em>. There are various ways to do this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n4 Types of People You Need in Your Professional Circle<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Type #1: People Who Can Help You Meet Your Goals<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Step #1: Decide Upon Your Goals<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
1) List Your Passions<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
2) List Your Talents<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
3) Identify Intersections Between Your Passions and Talents<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Step #2: Make a Plan<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Rules for Creating and Using Your RAP<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Type #2: Mentors<\/strong> in a Professional Circle<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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How to Find a Mentor<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Type #3: Super-Connectors<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Type #4: Prominent People<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How to Network With Prominent People<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n