Most people hate networking because they think it involves springing a sales pitch on a total stranger, then having one sprung on you.
World-class networkers have a different framing. They rarely approach strangers. Instead, they connect with friends of friends. (See writer David Burkus' TED talk for a great unpacking of this concept.)
The idea is simple. Everyone has a circle of friends they know well enough to ask for help. Because superconnectors keep tabs on who they know, it's easy for them to reach out and ask who their friends know.
The trick is to know who your friends know, then have an effective way to make introductions happen.
Put it into practice
Narrow a category, then make an open-ended ask
Power Move #2 emphasized keeping a record of who you know and making it easy to sift through relationships by attribute. This is why. If you're looking to hire a product manager, reach out to the product managers you know and ask who they know. A quick email with a simple request gets the job done—as long as you have the people to email.
Craft great requests
It's no small thing to ask someone for help. For someone to spend their time and social capital on you, you've got to land a strong ask. Make it easy, simple, and personal: make clear why you're asking, what's in it for the person making the intro, and how it benefits the person you're targeting. Include a short note that can be forwarded to the recipient, so it's easy for your contact to follow through. And have the gumption to hit "send."
Use Connect The Dots to eliminate guesswork
Knowing who is a friend of a friend is powerful but hard to figure out. LinkedIn connections have become much less meaningful, and social media often doesn't reflect our strongest relationships. Because Connect The Dots analyzes real communication, the platform is a genuine record of who really knows whom. If two people have been on many email threads together over many years, it's safe to say they know each other. Invite a friend to CTD and you get an accurate list of their contacts, sorted by relationship strength.
Be genuine, not transactional
Superconnectors don't put their agenda first. They strike a balance between warm, personal catch-ups and requests for help. They think holistically about relationships and don't pump people dry. Offer to help your contacts without asking for anything in return. The point is to bank goodwill and make future asks easy.
