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Let’s face it. Business is about money and the most powerful networks are the ones which are involved every time money changes hands all over the world.  The powerful, well-connected law firms, the large banks, the big four accounting firms,investment bankers on Wall Street and throughout the country…… these are the people at the white hot center of power. Many of the people in these networks can make or break your career or your business, with a nod, a wink or an introduction. These are the interconnected networks, often known as the old boys’ networks, who can introduce you to each other, sponsor you, mentor you, guide you and usher you in to meet the people who can write the biggest checks and who might take a liking to your deal, particularly if their friends like it. After all, just as people promote in their own image, people like to hob nob, do business, chat and knock back a few scotch and waters, light up a few Cohiba cigars after dinner with others like them.

Let’s say you have a very hot tech start up and you want to present it to a venture capitalist in Silicon Valley, but you don’t know any personally.  How do you meet one?  Basically, you can’t. Unless you know someone who knows one or works for one.  But your lawyer can.  You lawyer calls one of the ultra powerful law firms in Silicon Valley, whose clients include the biggest and hottest tech companies and a string of venture capitalists.  You lawyer gives you a good reference….basically assuring his colleague that  you are respectable, pay your bills and aren’t a con artist and that the deal you want to talk about is a real and viable one… then that lawyer arranges an introduction to a venture capitalist.  Voila! It’s done.

But how do you cozy up to a lawyer in the first place?  And not just any lawyer.  It has to be a civil ( as opposed to criminal) lawyer in an affluent, extremely well connected firm.  Rich people always have lawyers.  They need them for tax and estate planning.  If you are not yet in that category you may have to be on the look out to find the right entry lawyer.  I’ll explain what I mean by entry.

Lawyers are on the look out too, for clients.  Most of the big, affluent firms make a point of sending one of their lawyers to hang out with most of the important business organizations in town: the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), the Chamber of Commerce, several of the leading technology organizations.  This is their potential client pool.   Sometimes they send a young lawyer or someone who’s trying to develop a particular practice, say , technology.  But it doesn’t matter who it is or what their field is.  This is your entry lawyer. He or she gets you inside the gates of power. Once you have a relation with a lawyer in the firm, they can produce a lawyer with any kind of specialty you need.  What you will need is someone with contacts in your field who can guide you in the right direction, get you connected with the movers and shakers you need to know, and help you make any deals you may need to make in the future.  If they think you are a comer, someone likely to do big things in the future, you will not have to spend a lot of money with the firm.  They are banking on your future.  And in the meantime, they will probably invite you to firm parties, which you should attend because you definitely will meet some movers and shakers.

So, here’s the sequence. Most of us network a lot of the time, at conferences, seminars, trade industry shows, associations and dinners. We get someone’s business card and we give them ours  We now have a contact within a certain company, someone who can tell us,we hope, who’s on first, who has the power, who to talk to about what, and which way to the water cooler. Good.  But minimal.

Next, we work our contacts to find out which professional organizations relevant to our field have enough juice to attract some power players. And we set out to join one or two of those organizations.  Once in, we look around for the outposts of the Most Powerful Network: the top law firms, accountants or bankers. He or she will definitely be there. ( If they’re not, that tells you something about the organization.  They may be nice, but they might not be powerful.) Then we have to put in the work it takes to develop a relationship and demonstrate our professional abilities.  One way to do this is by volunteering to be on a committee with some power players.  Sometimes these people are on the committee in name only, because they have a recognizable name which impresses people.  You, however, need to be a worker bee, until you achieve that kind of stardom.  You need to nurture those relationships and always give your best.

Once you’ve impressed the powers that be with your skills, your path into the Most Powerful Network and the white hot center of power should be assured.

If you think you have a different or better path, write us and tell us.  We’d love to hear from you.

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• Another Look at Networking Groups

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Yes, Virginia, there is a “hidden job market”. Reports estimate that as many as 85% of jobs aren’t advertised. Networking is one way to get at the “hidden job market” , those unadvertised jobs.

First, understand there are all levels of networking.

Level 1.  As Joan Runnheim recommends: Tell everyone you know that you are looking for a job. They just may know of someone who is hiring. Develop a contact list including: family, friends, friends of friends, acquaintances, co-workers, former co-workers, neighbors, doctors, dentists, and lawyers. If you live in a large city, chances are you can find a job search support/networking group to attend. Remember, more contacts equals more job opportunities.

Level 2. Get involved with organizations and non-profits where you can be helpful and highlight your skills at the same time.  Listen carefully to others’ needs. “Try to understand what others see as your value proposition. Take the initiative and volunteer advice, knowledge or other valuable information first, without being asked to do so. Once you have demonstrated that you can provide value, “says Executive recruiter William Werksman, ears will perk up.  You will begin to be on people’s radar.  You never know who in that group might need someone with your demonstrated skills, either now or sometime in the future. Once you make a contact, nurture it.  Stay in contact. Try to be helpful when called upon.  The more you can demonstrate your ability, the more likely someone will recognize it as a “must have” for their organization.

Level 3. To ratchet the game up a notch, more power comes when you tap into an existing network.  As you know there are all kinds of existing networks, and by now you should have tapped into many of them: your own professional network, all varieties of business networks, leadership networks such as those run by United Way or your Chamber of Commerce or high profile non-profits which call on movers and shakers in a community.

Joan Runnheim, M.S., founder of Pathways Career Success Strategies, a career consultant, gives her views on networking and marketing yourself in Career Success Through Self-Marketing – AdvancingWomen.com

“Marketing shouldn’t be limited to advertising companies. Finding a job or enhancing your current position requires good self-marketing skills. What is self-marketing? Basically, self-marketing is communicating your benefits to potential or current employers. Think of yourself as a “product” and explain to employers what differentiates you from other “products.”

Why is self-marketing important? Landing a job or improving your current position requires effectively selling your skills, abilities, and knowledge to employers.  You can’t sell yourself if you don’t get out there and meet people or tap into much larger networks which will get the word out about your value.

Today is a good time to start.

To read this entire article go to Career Success Through Self-Marketing – AdvancingWomen.com – Careers-Employment.

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