This is a guest post inspired by my interaction with Trajan King whom I first wrote about here. Trajan has an amazing way of building genuine connections with people from all over the world.
My college Honors Thesis was on Venture Capital for Startups. As part of my research I interviewed a lot of important and successful business people, investors and venture capitalists. It was very interesting, educational and intimidating for a 21 year old. I was interviewing people who had founded successful companies or who regularly invested millions. I had done nothing in my career. I didn’t even have a career. I had no experience.
After one of the interviews I thought, “I’m meeting so many successful people who are in the industry I’d like to enter. I should really keep in touch with them.”
However, I didn’t know how. This was pre-social media too. I felt awkward. I’m an introvert. What could I offer them? How could I build a connection with them? So, I didn’t do it.
Fast forward many years to when I was trying to raise funds for a venture of mine and having difficulty. I was calling everyone I could think of to try to line up meetings. I thought back to those people I had interviewed and how nice it would have been to be able to pick up the phone and tell them about my new venture. Although I couldn’t. I had not put in the work to build a meaningful relationship.
I love this Chinese proverb:
“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”
It’s as true for trees as it is for relationships in business.
Building relationships just so you have someone to call when you need them is a side benefit, but building solid, long-term relationships is about providing value.Giving, not asking.
Genuinely caring about people and their well-being is the best motivational driver to building connections.
We can all spot the guys from a mile away who are interested in the short-term. We can tell when someone just wants to sell us something and move on. That works for awhile, but the long-term is where the real joy, satisfaction and yes, profits, happens.
One of the smartest things I’ve heard Warren Buffett say is that the thing he loves most about his job is that he only has to work with people he likes.
I think that’s something to aspire to.
The way to do that is to first, be someone others want to work with and secondly, surround yourself with people you like and respect.
It’s said we’re the sum of the 5 people we associate with the most. This holds true in both business and life.
When you’re surrounding yourself with those kinds of people, networking and building relationships isn’t a chore. It’s something that adds value to you life as you try to add value to the lives of others.
————–
Trajan King runs the membership community for entrepreneurs, InvincibleStartup.com and the digital marketing agency, InvincibleRobots.com. After started over 15 companies, running a couple of multi-million dollar companies, working on both Wall Street and Silicon Valley, he helps companies worldwide grow and earn more money.
Find him at www.invinciblestartup.com or join the free Facebook group for startups: http://www.facebook.com/invinciblestartup