Business in Nigeria thrives on the platform of high-profile connections. Having high-profile networks in your bag comes with a lot of perks. Little wonder, successful business people link up with other successful business people within and outside their industries.
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Therefore, as a businessperson, you must learn to hone the skills of networking and connecting with influential people who are highly respected in their industry or discipline.
With successful and influential people in your bag, you can host webinars that feature them, which attracts thousands of people to pay just to listen and gain from their insights. Apart from this, connecting with influential people might just be the break you need to get that $1millon funding.
In this article, I share great insights on how you can connect with high-profile influencers.
People are naturally drawn to valuable people, and also naturally withdrawn to invaluable or parasitic individuals. This is a natural human behavior. If you desire to connect with high-profile influencers, you must be a person of value. You need to be giving and giving. However, be sincere in your dealings. If you don’t have something valuable to give, please do not reach out. Therefore, think of creative ways you can add value to the person you desire to connect with.
In today’s world of connecting and networking, being a great person is not enough, you need to stand out. Yes, social media offers us all the opportunity to connect with our favorite idols, but you have to be outstanding to get their attention. This is why you must have built something worth noticing and worth talking about before reaching out.
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It is easier to give attention to a CEO of a notable company or someone renowned for leading a cause than to a Mr. Nobody. Therefore, start building something from your little quarter.
It was Confucius that right said, “When opportunity meets preparation, success is inevitable.” This is greatly true. If you want to connect with a high-profile influencer, you have to do your homework by reading everything about them. You have to know what they are into and what they are going after. If they have written books, read all of them. Know what they are passionate about. Your approach to them has to be beneficial to their cause and their life, not yours. Therefore, in order not to waste their time and yours, be prepared.
This is the big truth when it comes to high-profile connections: be concise and specific. Influencers are very busy people and they rarely respond to vague requests or have the time to find ways to help.
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Cut all the pleasantries about family and work, and hit the nail on the head. If you intend on making any request, cut the long story and go straight to the point. However, don’t just request, request for something tangible.
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Be a Passionate Visionary.
Visionary people have a way of charming people with their visions and charisma. Hence, if you desire to connect with high-profile influencers, you have to have a vision you are passionate about. The more passionate you are about your vision, the easier it is for you to convey it. Your enthusiasm for your mission will be contagious, and you will gain their respect and potentially their friendship. For instance, if you are passionate about developing a payment solution that helps farmers in rural areas to access buyers and investors and as well create cheaper export for them when you share it with influencers who are in the agro-industry, there is every possibility to earn their friendship.
Final Words
Building a high-profile connection is a deliberate effort. You have to work at. It takes time, but cultivating and preparing yourself daily, brings you closer to your goal.
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