One of the most effective ways to get in front of an individual is get a referral from someone who knows both of you. As long as the referrer is well-respected by the person who you want to meet, you will have no problem getting a meeting.
It is much better to get a warm lead than a cold lead. Rather than contacting someone blindly, you should leverage your network to get a referral. One of the reasons why you should build a sizable and diverse network is for this reason. You never know when your contacts will come in handy.
On the flip side, you should also actively provide referrals. Helping others is a key to having others help you as well. You never know where a relationship could lead so take the opportunity to meet with people who are referred to you. Anytime someone in my network refers someone to me, I always set up a meeting. By taking the meeting, I am making my relationship stronger with the referrer as well as expanding my network. I enjoy meeting new people whenever I can.
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