Matt Wilson is Co-Founder and Adventurer at the travel company for young people Under30Experiences. Matt can be found all over the world from Costa Rica and Iceland to Machu Picchu and Bali. Read his free book on how to create the life you always wanted, the Under30Experiences Escape Manual. Follow him @mattwilsontv.
Always Be Building Up Your Network
Tell everyone about your ideas! Everyone wants to meet someone on a mission, with a vision, who is passionate about something. Don’t be shy about telling people who you meet your ambitions. Youthful enthusiasm goes a long way.
Sitting in a hammock after a day of surfing in Nicaragua, I asked the guy next to me how his book was. He happened to be a super connected entrepreneur and loved the energy I had behind my business model. My new surfer friend also happened to work for Joe Polish, who hosts events on Richard Branson’s private island. Because of our connection through traveling and surfing, he later extended an invite to the event. Even from a hammock in Central America I was just a few short connections from a billionaire.
Take a Different Perspective
Feeling like I belong in the same room as anyone, no matter how successful they are, is the key to leveling up your networking game. Be humble, but understand that we are all just people at the end of the day. This attitude led me to have dinner at the same table as Steve Wozniak of Apple Computers when I was just a sophomore in college.
Target Certain Events and Mentors
Go where the superconnectors go. Every person should have some networking idols who they look up to in their community. Ask the best-networked people you know where they go to meet people and target those events. Better yet, if you can attend an event with a superconnector friend, they will probably be happy to introduce you to who you need to know.
Divide and Conquer
I divide my networking into two categories: friends and business contacts. If I’m at a New York City event and a commercial real estate broker is interested in selling me office space for my company, I will add this person on LinkedIn and they will stay a business contact. They might be a good person to know in the future. If I thought, I’d like to hang out with this person one day and I wanted our friendship to grow, then I’d connect with them on Facebook and make them a personal contact.
Most importantly, if I offer to help someone, I simply add a note to myself and take a picture of their business card on Evernote so I can follow up immediately. Relationships are built by doing what you say you will do and having integrity.
Make Sure You Actually Care
When introducing yourself, be yourself. Important contact or not, people just want to meet other genuine individuals who aren’t trying to impress them or get something out of the relationship. Don’t treat people in a transactional manner. There is nothing wrong with asking for something, but just be genuinely helpful. Examples can be as simple as offering to help out an event, or actually asking people about their life and how things are going.
Don’t be the guy who is just out to sling business cards. If it’s obvious that you are trying to sell me something, impress me, or that you look at me in just another dollar sign, then your relationship is no good to me. Think of it like you’d think of dating. People catch on quickly if you are just looking for a short-term transaction.
