They say your network is your net worth.
This is an adage that I think most people don’t actually understand unless they run a business. When you’re working a job you really only need to maintain a few relationships - your boss, your employees (if you’re a manager) and your peers that you interact with.
It is not until you step out of your little circle and try something new on your own do you realize that even if you are a stellar worker, you need to have connections to make things happen.
I learned this the hard way.
I’ve never really been good at maintaining relationships. Last year I decided to start a podcast and start a company that designs journals (the ones you write on). I thought it would be easy to book guests and get buyers for our journals, but it turns out the growth of my podcast and my small business were 100% dependent on the connections I had.
Of the 50+ cold emails I’ve written to people to invite them on the podcast, I’ve only had one person respond and accept my invite. Instead what I found works best is introductions from mutual friends.
With the number of podcasts and other opportunities out there, people that are experts are constantly bombarded with requests and they need a way to quickly decide which projects to do and which ones not to do.
To give the target guest a quality cue letting them know that the opportunity is worth it, there are a number of shortcuts you can take:
- social media presence
- Mutual connections
- Accolades/social proof
But all of these pale in comparison to the personal introduction. When you send a cold email, chances are it’s not even getting read. However, when a mutual friend introduces you to a potential guest, the mutual friend has taken the liberty of filtering out a good opportunity for the guest.
For people starting out the question may be I don’t have any of these things built for my personal brand. I don’t have connections, I don’t have a social media following, I don’t have any accolades or social proof, where should I start?
Dig the well before you’re thirsty. Invest in maintaining real relationships and these will pay much greater dividends than social media followers or accolades. Not just from a monetary standpoint but from a life fulfillment standpoint as well.