Networking: How to Meet Anyone to Achieve Anything

I asked my friend Donna Fisher a few questions about her speciality: Networking. Donna is the author of People Power: 12 Power Principles to Enrich Your Business, Career and Personal Networks and she is the coauthor of Power Networking: 55 Secrets for Personal and Professional Success. Here are my questions and Donna's replies.

1. What is networking?

Networking is a process of meeting people, building relationships, and developing a support system that is mutually beneficial and supportive.

2. How can someone meet anyone on the planet?

By using what's called "global stepping stones." This means accessing people through the people you know. Everyone you know in turn knows anywhere from 250 to 5,000+ people. Therefore your network has tremendous reach and anyone you would want to meet is typically only three or four people away from you. To check this out think of someone you would like to meet and then begin to identify who within your network might either know that person or know someone who knows that person. Call the people you identify asking them if they can introduce you to the person you want to meet. If they cannot, then ask them who they know who knows that person. See if you can make personal contact with the person you want to meet within the 3-4 person prediction.

3. What if a person feels they "don't know anyone important"?

Typically people are unaware of the power and magnitude of their network. A first step in networking is to become more aware of the network you already have and begin to use it because it is through use that it will grow. You can begin to identify your network by identifying categories of people that you know, i.e. business owners, authors, celebrities, ....or identify categories such as: business associates, vendors, church friends, neighbors, school alumni, former co-workers. Identify what you mean by "important" people and begin to find and bring those people into your network. When you begin to purposefully and consciously build your network, you will develop a full, rich network of people who are important to you in many ways. Also beware, for the tendency is to think that "important" people won't have time for us. Often times it is the "important" people who care about people and know and value the importance of networking and making connections and contributing to one another.

4. What are the 5 ways someone can increase their network?

1. Call at least one person a week from your network whom you have not talked with in a while and reconnect. (reconnection call)

2. On each reconnection call ask the person you are talking with about someone they know i.e. "Have you heard from xxxx lately?" or "How are xxx and xxx doing?" or "Do you remember xxx who worked on xxx project with us?"

3. Immediately after your reconnection call, call the person you inquired about and reconnect with them.
   Learn the art of small talk and saying hello to someone new once a week.

4. Ask for the names of vendors, referrals, centers of influence from the people you know.