A book is one of the greatest tools you can have to develop both higher-quality and quantity connections.
Now, you might be thinking, “How could something that someone reads while you’re not even there help with this?”
A book helps people to get to know you before you even make an introduction. It’s a way for you to build trust and authority with people you may not even know.
It helps people with similar values and purpose to find you to help further each of your missions.
The list could go on and on, so let’s just get right to it.
Let’s talk about why a book is a powerful tool to proactively expand your network.
More Qualified Connections
The beauty of social media is that we have abundant opportunities to learn about and connect with others. While this is generally great, there are downsides. One of the main ones being that folks can pop into your inbox or onto your calendar somewhat randomly. This takes time to sort through.
Books help to qualify the connections before they even make it to you. When you have a book, others are able to more deeply learn about you, what you do, how you do it, and what you value before they even come to you.
For business development, this helps the right folks find you while helping the ones that may not be the best fit to select themselves out. When it comes to strategic partnerships, the same thing is true. This even works down to the level of things like hiring. When candidates can see what you and your company stand for, they can decide if it’s something they’re aligned with before they even get to you.
A book as a filtering mechanism saves you time and energy while creating more fruitful conversations.
Deeper Connections
Oftentimes, when we make new connections, the introductory conversation involves covering a lot of the same basic information about each other. A book allows you to skip past some of this surface-level conversation.
The person on the other side of the screen or table will already know quite a bit about you from your book, and this also helps steer them to share more relevant information about themselves with you. This allows both parties to dig deeper.
You can more easily and quickly see where you share alignment, how you can support each other, what value you both might add, etc.
Besides tactical outcomes, it also allows you to create a deeper connection earlier on. When you have this, you’re more likely to be able to lean on each other for support, make more qualified introductions, and create win-win situations together.
Proactive Networking at Scale
A book is a way for you to put yourself out into the world in an intentional way. It’s a way for you to find your people at scale without necessarily having to scroll LinkedIn trying to find people with similar values, in similar fields, etc.
Your book helps the right people to find you, cutting down on your need to go out and find them. This happens through direct book sales, but it also happens through your network helping to expand your reach. Consider the following situation.
Someone in your existing network purchases your book. They love it and think it might be perfect for someone in their network. They pass it along to this person, who finds that your mission and teachings resonate with them as well. So, now they reach out to you to connect. And the cycle has the opportunity to continue.
Yes, you’ll still need to do some of the traditional networking stuff. But a book opens up a world of opportunities. It becomes a tool that both you and others can use to explain and expand your mission and teachings.
If this sounds like a cool path to pursue, let’s chat! Book a free strategy session using the button below.
Disclaimer: This blog should not be construed as providing, or intending to provide professional financial, legal, psychological, or other professional advice. It is simply meant to share my experiences with those who may find them relatable and helpful.