Darren Hardy talks about influence and there are three things that influence your life; What you put into your head, who you hang out with, and where you hang out.
I thought of that as I started to seek out people I wanted to connect with. I came up with the following;
Mentors: Look to meet people who are already where special lead you want to get to. The ones who have reached the level of success you want to achieve. Learn from their experience and soak up all of the information you can get from them.
Business Coach: Get some professional help. One of the best things I did was seek out and hire a business coach even though I could only afford a few sessions at the time.
Industry insider: Connect with people who live in the area and are successful in your profession. Find an industry insider to help show you the ropes.
Continual Learners: Surround yourself with people who are continual learners,
the ones who read books and the latest articles on business topics. They typically attended seminars, participated in conference calls and webinars. They listen to motivational CDs and mP3s to keep up with the latest in their industries.
The Connector: In order to become involved with the right group of people and to help grow your business, you need to meet people who are well connected in the industries you intend to target. Connectors are great at finding ways to make new connections and also are a great resource on many subjects.
Mastermind groups: Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich talks about the power of a mastermind group. A group where there is a coordination of knowledge and effort, in a spirit of harmony, between two or more people, for the attainment of a definite purpose.
Look for other businesses in the same industry that you can partner with, even if they are competitors. Even though they may do the same thing as you, they are different enough where you both could refer business to each other.