That’s right; you no longer can sit and wait for your neighbors to find you. If you don’t start making sure people know what you know, they will just go elsewhere. This session follows on from the last with Judy Robinett, where we talked about the importance of networking. In this session, we discuss how to map your network and start making it work for you. Episode outline: Social media, ecommerce and video conferencing has allowed each and every individual to connect with more people and do business outside local boundaries. For people that go into this brave new world prepared, it is an opportunity like no other. For those that treat business and networking the same way as the past, it will leave them sorely surprised. The days where opening a shop on the corner guarantees you trade are gone. No more does being the only accountant in town mean you will get the business of everyone around you. Unwritten rule Judy suggests that there is an unwritten rule to the success you can achieve, and that is, "Your network equals your net worth." It is possible to be successful in business on your own, but it is a lot easier if you have the help of others. If your whole network is a few family and friends, you’re going to hit a wall. You have to have relationships with people that can help you. Mapping your current network On average, most people know 632 people, yet they infrequently think about how to leverage these people to help themselves or the people around them. Judy suggests that when it comes to networking, not utilizing the network you already have is the most frequent mistake a person makes. To rectify this, she suggests you write down a list of one-hundred people you know. By doing this you will soon start to see obvious connections you could make, introductions that could help others, and holes you need to fill. One connection away from success Judy suggests that many people complain that they have not achieved success yet because they’re just missing one introduction, one endorsement, or one piece of publicity. On completing the mapping exercise, she suggests that more often than not the person realizes that they actually have known someone all along that could introduce them to the person they have desired for so long. Be upfront about what you want People too often try to project the best versions of themselves to their network, family and friends. This makes it impossible for them to help you because they think you are where you want to be. Truth is, if they knew you needed help, they would probably love to help you. For that to happen though, you need to be vulnerable and say to the people you know: * This is where I’m at. * This is what I’m trying to achieve. * What ideas do you have for me? * Who else do you know I should speak to? Letting a person know where you are struggling strengthens your connection with them and you will find, more often than not, they will go to the ends of the earth to help. Negative influencers/detractors Yes, it is true that there are people out there that when you try to get a leg up will try to pull you back down. There are also people that when you tell an idea, will want to tell you why it won’t work. These people do these things so they can feel better about themselves, while they do nothing. Now I could dedicate the next three paragraphs to explaining why what I have written above won’t work with these kind of people, and how to handle them differently, but instead I will just say this: "These relationships do not serve you. The sooner you sever them the more successful and happy you will be." In life,