485. Expert Interview: How to Connect with Influential People

Cloris Kylie

Cloris Kylie, Marketing MBA, helps coaches, speakers, consultants, authors, and skilled practitioners to build authority and attract the right clients so that they create a magnificent business that produces positive impact and growing revenue. A sought-after speaker, trainer, and author, she has been featured on television and radio shows, including the #1 podcast for entrepreneurs, “Entrepreneur on Fire.” Her articles have been published on websites with millions of followers, such as TinyBuddha and Addicted2Success. Her motto is “Reveal your magnificence!” because she wants you to remember that your talent and ideas must be shared with the world.

How to Connect with Influential People to Grow Your Career and Business

“Whether you have a business or a career in the corporate world, you are in the business of building relationships, this applies to all areas of your life. Even if you want to find someone to date, what do you do? You ask your friends to introduce you to somebody. The same thing happens in business and your career. You get that job you want when you have a connection within that company. You can get connected to other people’s audiences when you have that connection with an influencer who already has a platform of his or her own. So, in a world in which everybody seems to be trying to share their message, there is so much noise out there. The only way to really stand out quickly is to create those relationships with influencers.”

Why Is This Important?

“It’s hard to get to the momentum where you can make things happen if you try to do it on your own. You need the support of other people, especially influencers. When I talk about ‘influencers’, it doesn’t mean you have to connect with Oprah to sell your book! It means that you connect with people who have access to an audience or a resource that will benefit your business or your career.”

What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?

“First, you have to be clear about your passions, talents and goals. People will sense when you lack that clarity. Next, you need to carefully select the influencers you’d like to reach—a number small enough to be able to give them personal attention—and look for ways to give value to them, to support them. The relationships you build must be based on reciprocity. Start, for example, by sharing their blog posts with your followers, retweeting their messages that would appeal to your followers. If they have Facebook groups that match your goals, join them and participate actively in them. Focus building quality relationships, not unmanageable quantities.”