Map the people around your main contacts. If Bob leaves, you already know Julie and Brandon. Watch email CCs, take notes on names and roles, and ask for introductions at events so your network survives when key relationships change.
I make a consistent and concerted effort at trade shows, events, email correspondence, phone calls, Zoom calls, you name it. I'm paying attention to the people that are around the person that I have the contact, contract, or relationship with. So, let's just say the good old Bob is right there in the middle, and we all like Bob, right? Everybody's got a friend named Bob. All right, so we've got Bob right in the middle. Bob is my main contact. Now, let's just say that Julie is the person that is above Bob. Do you know Julie? Then there's probably some support people or others that are below Bob. Let's just say as an example, the person below that I see on emails and things, let's just say that his name is Brandon. So, Bob is here, Julie is here, Brandon is here. How well do I know Brandon and Julie? Just in case all of a sudden Bob leaves, do I have an in with Julie or with Brandon? Now, you've got to be asking yourself, what can I do strategically to make this happen? A lot of it is just about paying attention. So, have you ever been in an email correspondent with a client, they start CCing other people? Pay attention to that, make notes of that. You're at an event, make sure you're not just spending time just with Bob. Make sure you get to know Brandon, if Julie happens to be there. Ask for introductions to these people. Take time out of your day of what you're trying to do at that event to get to know those people. Pay attention on Zoom calls. Who's on those Zoom calls? When I'm on a Zoom call, the first thing I'm doing is making note of all the different people that are there. What's their first name? What's their last name? What do they look like? What are they talking about? How long have they been with the company? And all of those different types of things. Now, I would
