How to Build a Network of Influential People

I'm pretty sure almost every human wants to be friends with a couple of influential people. knowing how to build a network of influential people is an important networking skill. When we attend conferences, seminars, and other events, or when we scroll through the social media pages of some of our favourite influential people in the world, we're just wishing we could establish some form of connection and become friends, or to start with, acquaintances.

Perhaps we should start by asking ourselves why we feel the need to be connected to influential people. Well, I'll tell you why.

Have you ever heard the words, "Your network is your net worth?" I'm pretty sure a majority has, but not everyone knows what it means.

Here's the thing; the more influential people you know, the higher your chances of success. How does that work?

You see, the world is a marketplace, with everyone either buying or selling something every day. Think about that for a moment. You don't have everything you need, so from time to time, you need to go to people who have what you want and get it in exchange for money or other forms of value. Some other time, the narrative flips to the other side: you provide others with something that they want, and they pay you in return.

Everyone likes to work or do business with people that they like or trust. They want to be sure they can get the best of what they want with the best deal. Like everyone else, successful people also want to be friends with people they know and trust so that if they have to work together, it won't be a problem.

Now, imagine being friends with about 10 successful people that you can provide quality services to? They'll keep introducing you to their network of successful friends as well. So, the more you work with successful people, the more your chances of being successful and wealthy.

Now that you know what it means to say, "Your network is your net worth," let's get back to our discussion.

How can you build a network of influential people?

1. To build a network of influential people, you need to develop the right mindset; don't go asking for favours

Let me tell you a little secret about human: no one likes to feel used. Yes, we want to feel important and useful to the people around us, but we want to do so voluntarily, not manipulated in any way at all.

So, first things first; don't go asking for favours.

Picture this. Most influential people get tons of messages from family, friends and strangers, asking for favours. The question is, why should they help strangers when they haven't even attended to all of their loved ones? I mean, it looks to me that they have other important things to do than granting strangers their requests. So, please rule our that option; no favours.

2. Prepare yourself by building your personal brand

You know something about influential people is that they like meeting people who look like personal brands, instead of everyday common people. So, build a killer profile page showcasing your current work, projects and interests.

3. Bring value to the table when meeting influential people

If you have information, insights or skills that could be helpful to the person you want to meet, then you are more likely to stand out.

Again, the world is a marketplace, and it's always value for value.

To build a network of influential people, you need to be a person of value. So, keep developing yourself, and make sure you have something valuable to offer to people every time you meet them.