Obviously, your path will differ from mine but hopefully you'll gain some insights into my process.
I've never been one to accumulate "useless" contacts. Useless in the sense that they offer little to no value to me or to us (if I'm working with a group). I view my rolodex as finite so I have to be very very careful with who to put in it.
A stupid person might read the above paragraph and call me an asshole while a smart person might read that and say it's actually a great strategy. And here's why; say you're at an event and you speak to five people and only ONE turn out to be serious about their business. Congratulations, you've wasted 80% of your effort. That's usually the percentage of "waste" in a typical person's rolodex. I'm far from typical. My rolodex contains reliable professionals that are dedicated and incredibly serious about their business. I specifically made my rolodex that way. I don't collect business cards. I don't randomly add people on social media. I'M NOT A FAN OF EXCESS!!!!!
How many times have you heard someone say this? I met this individual at an event where we exchanged cards and social media links...but haven't spoken since.
What was the point in collecting each other information? A stupid person might say; you never know who might be of help..."down the road".
I really hate when people say that. 1). If you're going to bet on those odds, you might as well play the lottery. 2). Having a rolodex with very professional and reliable individuals beat "down the road" contacts ANY DAMN DAY!
The takeaway: Build a rolodex with VERY strong contacts and eliminate the excess. That should be a key part of your arsenal on your path to success.
