Human interaction has always been essential for creating business chances. People obtain the great majority of their accomplishments, innovations, expertise, and resources from other individuals. Unfortunately, even individuals whose careers and business outcomes are entirely based on meeting people, making contacts, and forming relationships do not appear to recognize the significance of these vital skills.
You have likely heard tales of men and women, young and old, who met complete strangers on airplanes, buses, churches, mosques, in neighborhoods, at conferences, parties, etc., and subsequently opened up to them, introduced themselves, began a conversation, developed a relationship, managed the contacts, and had their lives, businesses, careers, income, etc. completely transformed. That can be the case. However, the crucial word here is MEET! They encountered the visitors. There was communication. There was a relationship.
Occasionally, these are meetings between individuals with low status and those with great influence. Sometimes, it is a meeting between someone who needs information and someone who has information, between someone who needs assistance and someone who has assistance, or between someone who needs direction and someone who knows the route. There was communication. There was a conference. A connection or encounter having the potential to alter lives.
In today’s economy, talent alone will not be enough to save you. Oh talent is good and essential, but there are many talented musicians wasting away on the streets today; there are many talented footballers who are good enough to play for the biggest clubs in the world who are wasting away on bad pitches across the country; and there are many talented painters, fashion designers, etc. who are living in poverty. These individuals have no difficulty with talent. They have an enormous problem with contacts. They have a significant problem with the caliber of their contacts.
So many talented football players are wasting away in remote places. Former Nigerian national team captain Austin “Jay-Jay” Okocha was a great midfielder! Even in his finest days, he was not Nigeria’s most skilled midfielder. There were also other great midfielders playing on village fields. Nobody came across them. The talent they possessed was insufficient to lift them from obscurity. Yes, talent will provide way for a man, but talent alone is not sufficient for survival.
Traditional advice to obtain additional skills and education is excellent, but not adequate to launch you. Your degree and credentials will not always guarantee you a decent career. Obviously, I encourage you to earn a solid education and impressive credentials. I am certain, though, that there were classmates of yours who were vastly more intellectual than you, who earned higher marks, and who have MBAs from the most prestigious universities, but who are earning pennies. The issue is not with their education, credentials, or competency. The issue is the caliber of their contacts.
Your goods, pricing, promotion, and location will not guarantee sales on their own. You realize why? For each of your company’s items, other competitors provide identical things under a different name. Other companies can provide the same amount of discount as yours, create as much advertising noise, and open as many branches as yours. If you are a salesperson, your numbers will represent the quantity and quality of the contacts you have.
The government cannot provide assistance. No matter how effective a government’s policies and services are, there will always be poor people. And regardless of how poor a government is, there will always be prosperous individuals. Certainly, it is essential that the government provide the conditions for our prosperity. However, you require more than your skill, your education, your product, and the government in order to be saved.
You require quality connections. You require a strong network.
I am a firm believer that we should all be enthusiastic about developing both vertical and horizontal commercial and social networks. Obviously, the stronger your network, the more prepared you are to maximize your potentials and realize your life goals. I am convinced that the quality of your contacts and network cannot be larger than the quality of your life. If you had better relationships, your life would be better than it is now. Your firm would have flourished more effectively. The value of the business you are now managing reflects the caliber of your contacts. In other words, the higher the quality of your life, the more and better individuals you interact with and meet.
Who Is Crucial To Your Success?
Who do you need to meet in order to attain your life’s purpose, vision, and objectives?
Who must you meet to obtain a good job?
Who must you meet to obtain this contract?
Who must you meet in order to receive a scholarship?
Who must you see to obtain grants and donations?
Who must you meet to obtain a government appointment?
Who do you need to meet in order to receive spiritual counsel for your soul’s burden?
Who must you see to receive medical assistance for your health issues?
Who must you meet to obtain admission for yourself or your child?
Who do you need to speak with to promote community amenities?
Who must you meet to demonstrate your talent?
Who must you meet in order to win the election?
WHO MUST YOU CONNECT WITH? The essence of networking is answering this question. Who do I need to connect with to advance my life, life business, and life career? Who do I need to meet in order to optimize and realize my potential? Who do I need to speak with in order to tackle the difficulties I cannot solve on my own? To handle the challenges I cannot handle by myself?
I sometimes see and reflect upon lives that have been wasted everywhere. I observe individuals who have squandered or are squandering their life, not because they lack talent or potential, or are not determined and industrious, but because there is no link between their talent or potential and the people who can assist them. Thus, talent, dreams, and enormous potential are lost due to a lack of “meet factor.” They have not met the proper individuals.
Business and social networking is the conduit between your latent ability or potential and its actualization.
Improving the quality of your contacts, connections, and network can drastically increase the quality of your life, business, and career.