How to Grow an Influential Network to Attract Bigger Clients and Opportunities
The perfect client.
A book deal.
A high-paid keynote.
Collaborating with top leaders in your industry.
A guest spot on a top-ranked podcast.
Whatever your grandest career goals may be, they all have one thing in common: you are one relationship away from making them happen.
It’s no secret that developing an influential network is the fastest path to realizing opportunities that will change your life and career.
Building an influential network is vital to be seen as a top-recognized authority in your space.
So ask yourself the following two questions.
- Do you have a strategy for consistently widening and deepening your sphere of influence?
- Do leaders in your industry think of you first for collaborations and opportunities that fall in your zone of genius?
If the answer to either of these questions is no, you have a giant hole in your growth strategy that will greatly slow the progress.
Growing Your Sphere of Influence
It’s easy to assume that you attract an influential network by first becoming a recognized authority.
While your sphere of influence will undoubtedly grow with your authority brand, you establish an authority brand faster by deliberately building an influential network.
This can feel like a “chicken or the egg” paradox. After all, how do you start making upward connections before you have the clout to gain the attention of those with more influence?
Influential Opportunities in Less Than a Month
I was recently working with a client who had a small social media following, an even smaller list, and a tiny network that was mostly limited to her local area.
We wanted to grow her audience by connecting with influencers to reach their audience through collaborations and cross-promotion.
At first, she was nervous that nobody would want to connect with her because her following was less than 1000 followers on Instagram.
However, she had something else to offer that the influencers she wanted to reach found valuable. She was experienced in a newer modality of working with clients that the influencers had never experienced.
We put together an invite-only workshop for these influencers. She also gave them an opportunity to get to connect and expand their network.
Within a month, she had invitations to collaborate, guest opportunities in front of their audiences, and referrals to potential clients.
Key Takeaways to Grow Your Sphere of Influence
The takeaway isn’t necessarily to offer a free workshop, though that might work well for you. The point here is to find out what you can offer of value to those with whom you want to connect.
Another embedded takeaway in this example is this…
Everyone values making valuable connections.
When you create a space for that to happen, you immediately position yourself as someone with influence.
Whatever your goals, you need influential connections to make them happen. It’s vital to start making those connections today by identifying who you need to connect with, how you can offer value to them, and how you can take consistent action to build and grow those connections.
Some connections will happen more quickly and bear fruit sooner, and others will take time and require laying down the stepping stones over time.
Here’s a first action step you can take today.
Make a list of the types of people and specific people you need to connect with to reach your most important goals.
With that list in hand, you can start brainstorming ways to create value for those individuals.
Don’t short-change your ability to provide value to others. Don’t limit yourself. Some of the best ways to offer value might not be directly related to your expertise.
How do you make valuable connections and create value for others to expand your sphere of influence?
