Written by Adriana Georgiades
They say it’s all about who you know. Well then, shouldn’t you ensure the people you know are knowledgeable, established, and successful? Entrepreneur, speaker and high-performance coach Jon Talarico has built his career around helping others establish professional connections and build business relationships that will help them succeed. However, connecting with high-profile names is no easy task; it’s an art that Talarico has mastered, and below he shares 4 steps to authentically cultivate relationships that will help you thrive.
- Identify your goal
The first step is identifying the reason you want to build the relationship. If it’s simply to snap a photo with a celebrity for Instagram likes or to cultivate an artificial image of yourself, it won’t work. Successful people are used to being taken advantage of, and they can spot insincerity. “You should be thinking that the partnership or relationship with that person will help you get to the place you want to be. And that place is not about money, it’s about about a mission,” says Talarico. “What is it that I’m here to do? And how can I work with this person to help not only build my dream, but how can I help them build their dream?”
- Do your research
According to Talarico, you should be scouring the social media pages of your target to learn more about them. “You need to understand who the person is that you want to build a relationship with. What’s important to them?” says Talarico. “You’re looking for ways that you can create a connection, a kind of a common ground that’s different and unique to what everyone else does.” Traditionally this required old-fashioned research, but in the age of social media, it’s never been easier to find out personal information about a target. By truly understanding them as a person, you’ll be able to offer something of value to them.
- Give before you ask
A successful relationship is one that is mutually beneficial. In order to gain value from someone, you should first add value. “What I like to do is something called ‘little things for big connections’,” explains Talarico. He used this method himself to build a relationship with Bob Proctor, world-renown Law of Attraction teacher, motivational speaker and author of several best-selling books. “He’s got money. He’s got his celebrity status. He’s got his following. And obviously, everyone wants a piece of him,” explains Talarico. “So I thought to myself, how can I be different from everyone else? What is something little that I could do that would make a huge impact on him?” After attending one of Proctor’s events, Talarico noticed that he played the same song all weekend. So he did some digging, tracked the artist down and asked him to autograph an album that he then framed and delivered to Proctor. Today, that album hangs in Proctor’s office in Toronto while Talarico has been able to work with and be mentored by Proctor. While small favors may pay off, Talarico notes that it’s important not to expect anything in return, as that means your intentions are purely manipulative.
- Believe that it’s possible
In our increasingly interconnected digital age, it’s possible to connect to influential people by reverse engineering your social connections. In simple terms, it means finding someone less high-profile and more accessible, building a relationship with them, and using that to move up the ladder until you are eventually introduced to your intended target. But according to Talarico, you have to believe that it’s possible. “You need to have the mindset that you can get to anybody. I don’t believe in six degrees of separation. I call it two people removed,” he explains. “I can guarantee that I can get to anyone in the world through one or two connections. You have to have the awareness that it’s possible.”
(Syndicated press content)
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