When I grow up, I want to be like those awesome people who always seem to be putting the right people together– super connectors.
I used to think you had to be some kind of extroverted freak who actually enjoyed networking to be a super connector, but that’s not the case.
Even introverted consultants can be super connectors, which means you get:
- The pleasure of introducing people who should know each other, but don’t until you make it happen.
- The karmic benefit of being someone who makes introductions and referrals, and therefore will be top-of-mind for folks who may want to introduce or refer you. (Want to make it easier for people to refer you? Check out No Referrals Thanks, We’re All Full.)
Here’s how you can be a super connector (and how Mimiran makes it easier)…
You Need to Have Conversations
Making connections is about relationships, and relationships are built on conversations.
Even if you’re an introvert, there’s no getting around the need for conversations. But they don’t have to be icky or “sales-y”. They can just be conversations.
Know What You’re Looking For
In the course of your conversations, make sure you uncover who would be an ideal client and an ideal partner.
Peel back the layers of the onion to get very specific.
For example, “small business owners” is not a great description of an ideal client. It’s just too generic.
“Owners of a manufacturing business who have done sales but are looking to build a sales team” is much more useful.
Put these details in the appropriate fields in Mimiran.
You can see these details in the contact panel:
Not sure exactly who someone wants to meet? Now you can ask them and they can fill out or refine their client and partner referrals profiles in a few seconds. See this video for more information:
You can also search by these fields, so, for example, if you know you have someone who works with dentists, you just can’t remember who it is, you can pull up the appropriate contact records.
Make Introductions Easy
If you need a blurb from a contact to make an intro, ask for it, and be very specific. (“I understand what you do for dentists, but I’m not clear on why the commercial real estate agent would want to talk to you– can you give me 2-3 sentences on that?”)
(If someone promises a blurb and doesn’t deliver, save yourself, and your contact the trouble the of the introduction.)
Keep in the intro emails short and sweet. If you can’t sum up why the other person would want to talk to the other person in 1-3 sentences, something is missing and/or wrong. (For folks who think their blurb should be a chapter, and reference the attached one-pager– we are all too busy.)
Someone should be able to look at a brief message on their phone and be excited to talk to the person you introduced.
Make it a Habit, but Don’t Feel Obliged
See if you can make connections when you have great conversations. Capture the connection email as a task (make the category “Intros” or something similar). You can then see under Reports > Task Report how you’re doing with making Intros.
Note that you don’t have to make an intro. If you’re not sure it’s going to be mutually beneficial (especially if you just met someone who seems to be overly insistent on getting intros when you don’t know the quality of their work or their character), you can always protect your existing network by offering to ask your existing contact if they would like an intro.
Follow these guidelines and you’ll be making more introductions, helping your network, and at some point, receiving more introductions, as well (which you can also track in Mimiran).
You can even see your “Introduction Ratio”– the number of intros you make divided by the number of conversations you have. (And something similar for inbound intros and referrals.) Don’t try too hard to manage to this number, or you’ll end up gaming it with lower quality intros, but be aware of it, and remember ABC– Always Be Connecting.