You Can Never Have Too Many Contacts

I wonder if the expression “sound like a broken record” is lost on the millennials, in light of music being primarily digital.  Granted, some artists actually are releasing on vinyl again, but I’m sure that there is a huge segment of the population that doesn’t know what those large size black discs are all about.  Oh well, I digress.

The fact of the matter is, I sound like a broken record because I’m always telling anyone that will listen – college classes that I speak to, listeners on my weekly podcast, networking groups that I’m a speaker at – that you can never too many contacts.  Mind you, there is a difference between seeing how many business cards you can collect and actually staying in touch with people.  But, the fruits of the relationships that you build can be bountiful if you let them develop and are willing to give back, of course.

Remember, the only reason you should have your hand out is to shake that of someone you’re meeting, and not because you want something.

Yesterday I returned from four days in Orlando at Podfest 2017 and my exit from there prompted me to write this week’s blog.  In this blog every week, on each episode of “Now Hear This Entertainment,” and in the three volumes of the “Bruce’s Bonus Book” series, and even in everyday business conversations, I’m giving advice.  My aim is to help out with practical tips.  But in situations such as those, the audience sometimes needs to hear real life examples before they’ll say, ‘Okay, fair enough.  I’ll do it.’  It’s not too different from when Jimmy Johnson coached the Dallas Cowboys and said, “If you’re gonna talk the talk, you gotta walk the walk!”

As I was about to leave the hotel yesterday, I bumped into someone I know from our local business owners group.  In fact, as part of the Speaker Review Committee I sit on, I had just seen her come through to test out a presentation on us ten days earlier.

As we stood in the lobby of the Caribe Royale, talking about the event that had just concluded, she said she thought of me when learning about fellow attendee Andy Kushner.  When she asked me if I had met him, I told her that someone else had connected me with him a ways back, resulting in him being the guest on Episode 99 of “Now Hear This Entertainment.”  Then I did her one better and, in the process, showed the power of making contacts.

Saying that he’d had a great experience being on my show, Andy Kushner, in fact, then introduced me to/recommended Carl Lindquist – a singer/songwriter who splits his time between London and Stockholm – to be on NHTE.  After I interviewed him for what would be Episode 119, Carl then expressed the same pleasure with being my guest, and asked if he could refer someone.  That turned out to be fellow Swede Viktoria Tocca, the guest on Episode 149 – wait for it – who then helped me by (off-air) giving extensive insight into Patreon and inspired me to launch such a campaign for NHTE.

It’s not the infamous Kevin Bacon Game, but the professional networking version thereof can take you places.  Let this first-hand account inspire you to get out there and make some great connections!