How to use the power of connections to reach your goals…

[Dien Rice]

I’m currently re-reading Keith Ferrazzi’s book, "Never Eat Alone."

It’s great! For some reason, I’m seeing things in there that I don’t remember "getting" when I read it the last time (which would have been a few years ago now)...

If you read it properly, it’s really a marketing book. It’s not just about general "networking"...

It’s actually about how to get what you want.

And how to do it through people!

Here’s a little anecdote about me… I’ve always had this "idealized" notion of "doing it yourself." I know I’m not the only one.

Someone, being the "independent" guy who "does it himself" (or "herself") seems "heroic" and a bit "romanticized"...

But - the reality is - that’s not how it works.

As Isaac Newton said,

"If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants."

That is - for all the great things Isaac Newton did in scientific discovery - he didn’t really do it "himself." His work was built on the work of others… He was originally taught by others, and supported in one way or another by others, and he built on work that others had done before him.

Anyhow, this "do it all by myself" attitude is the attitude I had when I first started speaking with entrepreneurial genius Harvey Brody. He quickly knocked me straight!

As he pointed out, you always have to deal with people. Of course, you’re dealing with people as customers. But also as partners, suppliers, distributors, sellers, and so on.

My romanticized "independent man" notion was… poppycock! (Though he never used that word - that’s from me… )

Okay, back to Keith Ferrazzi…

Here’s Keith Ferrazzi’s formula for reaching your goals…

(He calls it his "Network Action Plan")

Step 1.

Set a goal. What would you like to accomplish (say) 3 years from today?

Then work backards and set mid- and short-term goals.

Step 2.

Name one or two people for each of these sub-goals who you think can get you one step closer to making your goal a reality.

(By the way, you don’t have to know these people already!)

Step 3.

Figure out how you’ll get to know these people!

He says some people you may have to "cold call." Some people you may get to know through friends of friends. Or you might be able to meet them at a conference, or through a specific club.

That’s his "formula" in a nutshell. (Of course, his book provides many more details…)

I’ve always appreciated the power of knowing people - knowing the right people opens doors. However, I never came across such a systematic approach (or I didn’t really pick up on it when I read this book the first time around)!

I just thought I’d share that, in case some here find it helpful…

Best wishes,

Dien