Connect Your Customers!

How to make great connections.



When people first started going to networking events, like mixers, there is a natural tendency to think about how much business you are going to get for yourself. However, by seeking out business for others, you will accelerate the friendships you make with the other people you meet.

When I first started going to networking mixers in the early 90s, I came across a man who seemed introverted. He was all by himself and he struck me as being shy. I went up and introduced myself to him and found out that he was an engineer who had recently gone out on his own. He didn’t know anybody else at the mixer and so I offered to introduce him to other people I knew.

I called him a couple of days later to follow-up with him and make some referrals to him. He was very grateful and seemed a little surprised that I took an interest in him. Actually, he wasn’t that memorable but that didn’t matter. I would go out of my way to help anyone whom I met at a networking event if I thought I could be of service.

I stayed in touch with him for quite a while although I never saw him again. He did send me a very nice note which I’ve kept. It said “Dave, I’ve gone back to working for another employer even though I’m still finishing up some of my consulting jobs. I can tell from everything I’ve read that you continue to be successful. Congratulations on all your hard work.”

"The currency of real networking is not greed but generosity." - Keith Ferrazzi