The Secret To Success Is To Meet Great People
"You can call me whatever you want, just don't call me a self made man." - Arnold Schwarzenegger
I’m in Costa Rica at a business summit.
Yesterday, as I was watching one of the presentations, I said to myself … “Wow, there are so many impressive people here.”
It got me thinking about my previous business relationships and how grateful I am to all the people who have been on this journey with me. It also made me realize that the single most important thing you can do for your own success is to surround yourself with people who are smarter than you.
Today, I will share three tips on how to make great connections.
LFG. 🔥
Give Away Value
I receive countless emails and DMs every day. Almost every one of them says something like this …
“Tim, I love your content. I noticed that you are creating YouTube videos. Did you know that if you add editing to your videos, you could get more views? I’ve attached some examples for you to look at.
Interested in learning more?”
🤢🤮🤮 - These spam messages are so stupid.
If you want to create a great connection, you should give away your expertise. Most importantly, do it without asking for anything in return.
The reason why I have such a high close rate on my sales is because I spend a ridiculous amount of time putting together high-level audits and strategies for people. I write them in Google Docs and send them to the potential customer.
I give away the entire playbook for free. I hardly even ask to schedule a meeting.
That’s why people come to me. Through my free value, I “prove” that I know how to solve their problem and make it clear that it would be unreasonable not to let me solve it for them.
The more value you give away, the more people look up to you.
Go to Conferences
I’m an introvert. I like people, but I prefer going for walks alone with my headphones in even more. If you put me in a social situation, it’s very unnatural for me to approach strangers and introduce myself.
However, over the last ten years, I’ve started forcing myself to do it, and it’s paid off immensely.
(Pro tip: Yes, read How To Win Friends And Influence People. But more importantly, actively practice and apply the tactics in that book. It helped me a lot, and I’ve read it four times now.)
Almost all of the new connections I have made have been the result of conferences, summits, group meetings, or networking events.
What’s important to understand here is that you don’t have to go to a conference and make 30 new connections. That’s not effective. Go and make a few meaningful relationships, and one thing leads to another.
For instance, two years ago, I went to CEX. There I was finally able to meet Nathan. Nathan and I became friends, and he introduced me to Louis. I built a relationship with Louis and invested in Sparkloop. Sparkloop was acquired by Convertkit, and now I have equity in that company.
This is just one example of many.
In fact, the whole reason I am in Costa Rica right now is because of the web of relationships I’ve cultivated over the last ten years. Now that I am here, I am meeting even more smart people, and the journey continues.
Relationships aren’t an asset you own; they are a network to participate in.
Ask for Phone Numbers
This may seem trite, but I have found that when you can talk on the phone or text with someone, your relationship goes deeper, and the real creativity starts to flourish.
Ok, great. But if it were so simple, how come everyone still sends countless DMs on Twitter and LinkedIn and hardly gets anywhere?
The answer: fear.
Asking for phone numbers is awkward. It’s not a comfortable thing to do, especially when it’s someone you’ve just met and especially if you’re a man asking another man for his phone number.
What specific tactics can you apply to get a phone number?
Here’s what you say. Ready? Wait for it … go.
“Hey man, can I get your number?”
Yep, that’s the $10,000,000,000 secret to networking, building relationships, making friends, and creating a tribe of people you love to work with and who add joy and creativity to your life.
It’s simple. Don’t get in your own way of success. Push your comfort zone, accept that rejection won’t kill you, and keep doing it.
Love you guys. Talk to you tomorrow.
Tim
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