Networking Beyond Peer Circles

There is a place for networking with peers and colleagues. It's a great way to learn new skills and develop capabilities. It's a good place to find mentors. And for some, it may be a good place to find clients, but for most of us, the group of people we need to reach will be somewhere else.

In Nashville, I went to a songwriter's open mic almost every night. The writers I met there were mostly at the same level in their careers as I was, just getting started in the professional realm. The writers who were successful were rarely seen at events like this. They still had their peer circles, but they were smaller and less publicly visible.

In coaching, I don't see the top eschelon of coaches hanging out in the 20k member Facebook coaching group. That group is facilitated by a coach who coaches coaches. He's building his client list, and he limits every other member from trying to do the same in the group.

A big part of success is finding the places where our people congregate and pay attention, and show up there. Maybe a good starting place is to really identify what you're offering and then find the places where people are looking for that offer. Sounds easier than it is, but once you find them, you're better than halfway to the success you want.

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