“Study anyone who’s great, and you’ll find that they apprenticed to a master, or several masters. Therefore, if you want to achieve greatness, renown, and superlative success, you must apprentice to a master.” – Robert Allen
Success leaves clues. Why not take advantage of all the wisdom and experience that already exists by finding a mentor who has already done what you want to do? Just ask!
Determine in advance what you want from this mentor. Les Brown, for instance, would help you see possibilities. In other words, mentors help you overcome “possibility blindness.”
Maybe you just need someone to open doors for you. Or perhaps you need a referral to a technical expert. Whatever it may be, these particular individuals/mentors will allow you to see the bread crumbs in life that most of us miss throughout our daily lives.
Do Your Homework
Do your research on the names and backgrounds of people. I’ve given a list of names a number of times for you to look up who you like the most. The people who have been successful in the industry you’re trying to enter.
There’s an excerpt in Jack Canfield’s book that plays the role of a specific individual asking someone for help – ultimately getting help from the mentor and ended up expanding his company exponentially.
Hello, Mr. Johnston, my name is Neil. We haven’t met yet. And I know you’re a busy man, so I’ll be brief. I own a small trucking business. Over the years, you have done a fantastic job building your business into one of the largest companies in our industry. I’m sure you had some real challenges when you were first starting out. Well, I’m still in those early stages, trying to figure everything out. Mr. Johnston, I would really appreciate it if you would consider being my mentor. All that would mean is spending ten minutes on the phone with me once a month, so I could ask you a few questions. I’d really appreciate it. Would you be open to that?
Not too hard, right?
You also better be prepared to give your mentors something in return. Even if it’s something simple such as keeping them updated on industry information or calling with new opportunities that might benefit them.
Network Your Way To Success
Generating referrals and increased business – normally the referrals you get from networking are high quality. You can ultimately turn these people into clients over time.
Expanding opportunities – getting together with motivated business owners could lead to a joint venture, partnership, speaking and writing opportunities, business or asset sales, investment opportunities and so much more.
Networking is all about relationships – If you’re attending networking events hoping to sell something, you’re dreaming. Don’t confuse direct selling with networking. Effective networking is all about developing relationships. Networking is more about farming, not hurting. Development with other business professionals. Sometimes you’ll want to go to a networking event just to increase your visibility, establish credibility, etc.
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