I was asked recently how someone should go about networking more strategically so that they can more easily connect with the right people.

This is a great question, and more people should consider thinking about their networking efforts from this higher level.

Before you can start connecting with the right people you first have to understand who the right people are. As specifically as possible describe the type of individuals you're wanting to meet. In this example they were looking to get connected within a specific industry.

Even if you're looking at a specific industry I encourage you to be as specific as possible. For example, if you wanted to connect with Attorney's that's a very broad industry that has its own silos. Those in criminal defense likely know each other fairly well, but they probably don't know too many attorneys who are practicing tax law.

Once you've narrowed down your target as much as possible it's time to look for the connectors. Once you get to this level of specificity you'll often find that in a broad sense everybody knows everybody else. So it will help to begin with some of this micro communities best connected members.

This is the easy part. Just ask people in the community who they are. They know, and it's usually pretty obvious.

The last step is connecting with the connectors. This is easier than it sounds, but harder to do right. By nature most connectors are very open individuals who want to help. So reaching out to them and requesting a meeting is a lot easier than connecting with most other people. However, if you're really looking for their help you're going to need to work a little harder than that.

First recognize that it took these connectors a long time to build all of these relationships. By nature they're almost always exceptionally busy. A fact which you must respect. Frequently they also have a pretty keen radar that helps them sniff out when someone is just trying to use them.

The best way to initiate a meeting request is to have someone refer you to them. If you want to network with a connector, cold calling them is a bit backwards. Find someone that knows them well, that they respect, who can put you in touch with them. This will go a long way in helping you establish some credibility before the meeting.

As you prepare for the meeting think about what's in it for them. Do your research. Your connectors time is valuable and you need to work to find some way to make spending time with you a good use of that time. Putting in this effort will also go a long way to encourage them to help you in your requests. Hint: focusing your requests on introductions will prove most fruitful since that's what they're best at. Just know that you need to earn those introductions. They're not a given.

Happy Networking!