Networking Trumps "Unemployed Need Not Apply"

Business development, just like a job search, presents entrepreneurs with many obstacles that must be overcome.  Having no clients or prospects puts a business owner in the same predicament as an unemployed career professional in transition.  So how do business owners attract potential clients for an introductory meeting (interview for job seekers)? 

Business owners quickly learn personal referrals and introductions from your network will tear down barriers, to get [hiring] mangers to suspend reviewing other brochures (resumes) and take a look at what you have to offer.

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How do you engage people in your network to help you get in front of potential clients?  In the book How to Win Friends & Influence People, Dale Carnegie says it best. "You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you."  People are more apt to help another person who is willing to help others.   The key to leveraging your network to champion your cause is to approach each person with an attitude of "how can I help you or someone in your network?"


Learning to network in this manner allows you to multi-thread connections within a company to get decision makers to give you an opportunity to present your value proposition, when they would normally not meet with you. This counters, nullifies and squelches all the buzz garnered recently about unemployed need not apply.