If you are more than 10 years old, you must have noticed something fishy about life. Ask the school girl who painfully watched the coveted spot of lead dancer she wanted so badly and worked so hard for go to the richest girl in class simply because the girl’s father was the chief sponsor of the school’s cultural festival. Ask the boy, who hates going to school because his bully who happens to be the Principal’s son, has never been punished regardless of how many times this bully had been reported. They will tell you one thing:
Life is Unfair.
And it only gets worse. Many graduates must have discovered that graduating with a first class or second class upper might get you an interview but it can never guarantee you will get the job. Many entrepreneurs must have discovered that having the best product in the market does not guarantee your product will be an instant hotsell and profit maker.
Far from it.
If you are missing the secret sauce, then your path to success will be long, tiring and filled with frustrations. What is the secret sauce?
It is your Connections.
Why Connections can Make you Successful Almost Overnight.
The old adage stills hold true, “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know”. Like it or not, “who you know” determines how successful you will be. I remember when I wanted to do a book launch. Two weeks to the date, I didn’t have any candidates to make the keynote speech about my book. I went to one of my mentors and a dear friend, Mrs. Ezeani, telling her my predicament. The very next day, she called me to tell me that she had arranged a topnotch magistrate -who is currently chief judge- to do my book review and deliver a spectacular speech for me on my launch day.
Without my mentor, there is no way I would have known this top achiever. Without my mentor, there is no way I would have approached this trailblazer and convinced her to make space in her busy schedule for me. Because of my mentor, she inconvenienced herself that day by going to a family occasion early and cutting short the amount of time she was supposed to spend there, then sped to the other side of town, just to grace the book launch of a woman that she didn’t even know three weeks prior.
And my case is just an example of how 1 powerful connection can make your life and success, so much easier. Listed below are the reasons connections make you an instant success.
1. Their success will rub off on you:
Imagine going to a networking event and someone you have never seen before is introduced as Bill Gates’ protege. Won’t you immediately start seeing the person in a new light? Won’t you find yourself admiring, respecting and actually listening to this previously unknown person?
If you answered yes to any of the questions above, you are no different from 98% of humans.
This is because humans are wired to respect achievers because we all crave to be stellar achievers. Once you can connect yourself to an achiever, the respect rubs off on you. Subconsciously, people start to think “if an achiever can respect this person, who am I not to respect this person?” or “If an achiever knows and recommends this person, then this person must be worth knowing and respecting”
2. They will inspire and motivate you
Achievers are not driven by jealous rage. Can you imagine Warren Buffet being jealous of anybody? Or Aliko Dangote, one of the richest men in Africa, backstabbing another person?
No.
Why? Because they are accomplished. They have achieved a huge percentage of what they wanted to achieve in their lives. One peculiar thing I have noticed about achievers is that they lift people up. They try to inspire and motivate people. They reveal how they achieved their successes, where they made costly mistakes so that you can replicate their successes.
My sister Ify, got this right when she entered university. She immediately attached herself to achievers (older students who are brilliant, were on scholarship and had huge dreams) and they guided her rightly. She went on to secure a PTDF scholarship throughout her stay in Nigeria, then a commonwealth scholarship for postgraduate studies in Cambridge and within a month of graduating from Cambridge got a job in one of the most prestigious companies in the UK.
The reason her story is different from so many graduates out there is because she aligned herself with achievers.
3. They will introduce you to other industry leaders
Once you are a protege of an achiever, you life will be miles better than a highly brilliant guy that has no achievers to back him up. Achievers take delight in introducing you to their network of friends. And guess what? An achiever’s network of friends is made up of fellow achievers. This is exemplified by my mentor knowing a trailblazer who is currently a chief judge.
4. They will root for you
Once you prove yourself to an achiever, once you show that you are a hardworking, dedicated, focused and loyal individual, then the sky will be your starting point. Because this achiever will recommend you to not just their friends, but their clients and customers. LightWedge CEO experienced this firsthand. Before his product, a book light, appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show, this book light was averaging $3,700 a day. The day it appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, all Oprah said was, “I need to get me one of these.” and sales skyrocketed to $90,000 that afternoon.
Once an achiever recommends you or your product, you are on a fast-track to success.
5. Their advice can save you from losses worth millions
One common thing about achievers is that a lot of them had to make a lot of costly mistakes during their lifetime. Some of these mistakes cost them dearly in cash and relationships. So when you pitch an idea to an achiever, they will immediately advise you based on the experiences they have had, not on some theoretical assumptions many false gurus base their supposed “foolproof” strategies on.
I am a typical example of this case. Previously, in my first three failed blogs, I did something many rookie entrepreneurs do. I looked for an easy, shortcut to success. I met a lot of genuine influencers and achievers but the advice they gave me, I did not like. This is because the advice involved a lot of sweat, consistency and a minimum of 6 months to get to success. I wanted success in 3 days. So I instead chose to adhere to the advice of fake gurus, who promised that if you just implemented their tips and tricks, you will be on your way to insta-success in as little as a week.
Fast-forward 3 years, a lot of money down the drain, a lot of wasted effort and many frustrations, and now I am obeying the genuine influencers and achievers. And so far I have achieved a whole lot more than the nothing I achieved with the fake gurus.
6. They make it easier for clients and customers to build a relationship with you.
I have never met Bill Gates but I already trust him. Achievers are trusted. It’s the unfair principle of life. When an achiever recommends something to his clients or customers, the trust factor is instant.
Recently, one of my neighbours, Chike, got a posh job. The job was a managerial position in a pharmaceutical firm with the benefits of a car and a three-bedroom apartment in a choice neighbourhood. Here is the real gist: He NEVER applied for the job. In fact he didn’t even know the job existed until he was called to accept or reject the offer.
No Interview. No Aptitude tests. Nothing.
So how did he get the job? An individual known as a topnotch performer was previously offered the job. But this topnotch performer had so much work choking him, that he couldn’t accept the offer. Instead he made a recommendation. Chike was hired without even an interview to judge his skills but simply based on word-of-mouth referral. This simply points out that this topnotch performer has achieved so much that if he can be impressed by and recommend somebody, that person must be of his calibre. And the funny thing? Chike is not even related to this topnotch performer by blood or family ties. This recommendation was made purely out of a singular past business interaction.
How You can make connections with Achievers
1. Attend networking events. Though they are pricey, they are really important and is a suitable ground to mingle and meet achievers in similar industries. I greatly recommend attending an event at least once a year.
2. Help people: Do not scrimp from helping people no matter who they are, or what they do. Do not monetize everything you do. Sometimes extend favors to people, clients, customers because in the long term these favors can snowball into a leverage/recommendation for you.
3. Always deliver your best: Where I come from there is an adage, “the legs that walk about, is monitored closely by the eyes that look about”
Meaning that everything you do is watched by someone you do not know. When you over-deliver or supersede expectations, people are watching. When its time to make recommendations, your name will be the first to spring out of their lips.
4. Become a protege: No mentor will watch as their protege sinks and do nothing about it. Because a protege’s failure becomes their own failure. Which is why, in the political arena, unknown politicians attach themselves with accomplished godfathers in order to increase their chances of clinching a political position. Bringing this argument homeward, it is very safe to argue that without Tinubu’s influence and participation, Gen. Buhari will not have won the presidential seat.
5. Always seek an opportunity to help an achiever: Economics lets us know that human needs are insatiable. Contrary to popular belief, achievers do not have it all. There is always a favour you can extend to them. Many achievers will not hesitate to return a favor if you ask.
So there you have it. Did I miss anything? Do you know other ways of attracting the attention of achievers? let’s know in the comments.
P.S: If you found this article helpful, consider sharing it and helping someone else with the information they need to become successful.
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Hey Chioma,
I didn’t waste time at all to share this post. You got it to the point. This is some content people will pay to access but thanks for dishing it free 😉
I have been reading your blog in silence but I think it’s time to break out. Keep those wonderful posts coming dear friend.
do have a wonderful week
Thanks Enstine. Your encouragement is worth its weight in gold.
Hi Chioma,
It’s my first visit on your blog!
I Founded your awesome blog via “enstinemuki’s” blog!
Honestly you are great! Your voice inspired to success online. I think every one should be helpful to others especially in the online world.
However, enjoyed this great post and your writing skill amazed me!
Keep it up sister.
Subscribed!
M-Minhaj recently posted…how to get more traffic to your website-proven way to Follow
Hi M-Minhaj
Thanks for your kind words. I am really happy you found my content inspiring and helpful.
And I am glad you subscribed too. I will definitely ensure I do all I can to help you grow your blog and business. Do have a wonderful day, my friend.
Hey Chioma, awesome article! I’ve never really thought of connections as being THAT important before, but you make some valid points about why it is the very key to success.
This is a great motivating read to get you out there and make the connections you need!
Thanks for sharing!
Mathias recently posted…The Value of Investing in Yourself
Hi Mathias,
Thanks for your kind words. Connections are really important in life as its always about “Who you know”. When you know the right people, they help you to succeed by lifting you in any way they can. In my experience, surrounding one’s self with positive achievers helps a lot in keeping you focused on your dreams.
Glad you enjoyed my article. Do have a wonderful day.
Hey Chioma,
What a great post. I agree with everything you say. It just like that when you start blogging. Find your niche, then find those who rank high and attempt to come to their attention without selling yourself short and in a professional manner.
We all have our own achievers we enjoy and appreciate, but there are others out there that I would not trust for a second, mind you if I was in their presence I would listen, because they have done it.
Over the last couple of days I have been thinking in the terms of events, but I will leave that on hold for a little while. I could use 101 excuses to not continue with consistency towards my writing.
I love your honesty about going for the get quick rich scheme, I have done a few myself and have been left disappointed. But they are valuable lessons.
I have never heard the line “the legs that walk about, is monitored closely by the eyes that look about” but it put an immediate smile on my face. I guess so hey?
By the way congratulations on having your book published – I would love to know how it felt and you experience through the writing process and then editing, all the way up to publishing and then your opening night. Wonderful.
Anyway thoroughly enjoyed your post. Thanks
Rachel.
Hi Rachel,
Thanks for your kind words. You are so right about how to start a blogging career: Build relationships with the influencers in a professional manner and you will benefit from that in the long run.
Experience is a tough teacher; I am sad to hear to fell prey to the quick-rich scheme too. But looking on the bright side, it means you now know what really works and what to avoid. Glad the adage made you smile. Its a really common one in my locality 🙂
Getting my book published was quite an emotional process: some parts of the process felt heady, some parts felt overwhelming and some frustrating. But I won’t have traded that process (that lasted 9 months after the final draft. lol!) for the world. I do intend to write about it one day and to still write more books, so keep tuned on that.
Thanks for stopping by and enjoying my post. I really enjoyed your visit ;). Do have a splendid day, Rachel.
I totally agree with you, Chioma. Most of what you have expressed here are principles we must align with to achieve desired results. I am an advocate of “act like who you want to be like and learn from the guys at the top”. These guys do not tell you what to think but rather show you how to think.
Again, referrals are very powerful. Personally, i have worked on exciting projects and invited to speak in different parts of the country based on referrals. Even for brands, referrals drive loyalty even much more that repeat purchases.
I also seek out and attend strategic networking events and have met some really amazing folks that have contributed immensely to my life.
I also seek out and attend strategic networking events and have met some really amazing folks that have contributed immensely to my life. I am glad you re-strategized and adopted best practices for your blog. Great to be here. Thanks for sharing this wonderful piece. Jisike 🙂
Emeka recently posted…The only reason why I respect you
Hi Emeka,
I am glad to hear how influencers are helping move your life forward. Just like you said, it is wise to align oneself with those at the top. I learnt that so many times. There was a time I thought I could do everything myself: I felt I was blessed with enough natural skills and intellect to face the tides of life. Was I ever wrong! Initially it was hard for me to reach out to people but I soon learnt that building one’s connections is the only way to go.
I have gotten a fair number of jobs and clients through referrals. When speaking to some young school leavers, I saw they had it all wrong: they thought that their skills could fetch them anything they wanted. That is why I wrote this post. Because while having skills is important and necessary, having people who are willing to pull you up is equally important, otherwise your progress is likely to move at a slow, frustrating pace.
Its great to have you here too, Emeka. Daalu. Jisikwa Ike 😉
I definitely have to keep up with your blog! lol
Great stuff, and you’re absolutely right. I really hadn’t thought much about this for a lot of years. Way back when I was writing a weekly newsletter I wrote a piece on mentors I’d had in my life, guys I not only got advice from but sometimes helped me escalate into areas that, without them, I’d have never had a shot at.
You know, I wrote a foreword for a book a couple of times and was honored to do so. Yet, when it came time to market my second book, I never even thought about asking someone to do it for me, and I didn’t do it for my first book either. Matter of fact, it probably would have helped if I’d had some testimonials for the second one like I did for the first; sigh…
Great stuff and great perspective!
Mitch Mitchell recently posted…Online Marketing, Blogging, Social Media… It’s All About Traffic
Hi Mitch,
I really am glad to see you again. Thanks for your kind words too. Mentors are important and highly recommended in everyone’s life. They do give you advice gained from experience and prevent you from making a lot of avoidable mistakes. Back in school, I always thought I could achieve anything and everything on my own. It took a few unpleasant experiences to make me understand that no success is built in isolation.
Wow! You have published two books? Kudos on that. Writing a book is no small feat. Just one publishing experience that spanned 2 years from writing the first draft to the launch date, made me understand that. I really agree with you that having testimonials would have helped your second book. Having someone knowledgeable market it too would have helped your books a lot too. I wish you the best on the success of your two books. And more inspiration to write even another one.
Thanks for stopping by. I really enjoyed your visit. Do have a wonderful day, Mitch.
Hi Chioma,
I appreciate you writing about this particular topic because it’s one I’ve learned along the way as well.
You’re right when you said that sometimes life just isn’t fair. We hate to admit it because we would all love to think that we’ll succeed just from our own merit but when push comes to shove, we just need help at times. It’s the people we’ve come in contact with over time that can help us get through doors. I’ve had the pleasure of introducing people to those I’ve come in contact with as well.
The biggest lesson to date that I have learned about this is to just help people. Be of service to them, help them because you want to and you care about people and you’ll watch them spread the word about you so fast your head will spin. People will start highlighting you, talking about you and then you never know who will catch wind of this too. Too had Oprah’s show isn’t on anymore right! LOL!!!
In all seriousness though, great topic and one that we all need to be paying attention to. It’s who you know, not what you know.
I’m off to share this post as well and hope you have a wonderful end to your week.
~Adrienne
Adrienne recently posted…How To Make Those All Important Connections
Hi Adrienne,
Yes it hard to admit it sometimes, but we all need a little help to get to our destinations. When a person refuses to create connections and build relationships with other ambitious and successful fellows, he risks making very costly mistakes or worse and getting nowhere fast. Life is really tricky. It is mighty hard to juggle daily responsibilities with business or any dream. That’s why we need to make friends with those who have been through all that and let them guide us and prevent us from making so many blunders.
You are right, Adrienne. Helping people is the best service you can render. When you genuinely help people, you build true and lasting relationships with them. That’s one of the reasons I loved Oprah’s show. She helped a lot of folks. My heart broke on her last episode.
Thanks for sharing this post Adrienne. You do put a smile on my face anytime you visit 🙂
Hey Chioma,
This is definitely a very worthy share. I was thinking about this the other say and just judging from my own experience it would be wise to network with others and ultimately achievers.
This post reminds me of a book I read some time ago called “The Tipping Point” which is basically on how trends are started. Malcolm Gladwell narrowed it down to three types of people which one of them is the connector. This is the person that just knows everyone there is to know and without the connector then there will be no fad.
After reading this book I notice that many companies use these three types of people to create fads which are departments. The Marketing department, the sales department, and Engineer department. In this case the connector would correlate with the marketing department.
But yes if you want to get anywhere you definitely want to make the right connections. It doesn’t matter how many degrees or experience you have, as long as you know the right people then you will achieve a lot.
Thanks for the share Chioma! Have a great weekend!
Sherman Smith recently posted…Â Empower your blog with these 5 must have wordpress plugins
Hi Sherman,
Its a joy to see you here. I agree with you that it is always wise to network with others, especially achievers.
The Tipping Point is almost the books I have earmarked for reading this year. I am currently reading John C. Maxwell’s “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership” So many of the laws in the book touch on the power of influencers and how they can transform a follower to a leader, a normal guy to a CEO. The law of Connection, the law of the inne circle, the law of influence all show that we need the right people in our lives if we want to ascend to the next level.
Malcolm definitely has a point: there is always a connector who links people with the right connections.
Yes, once you know the right people, you can achieve a whole lot more with you skills. Thanks for stopping by. Do have a great weekend too.
Chioma Anozie recently posted…10 steps you should take to become successful in life
really great article. feeling inspired
These are really great tips. This was a good chance for others to share their experiences. Thank you for sharing these kind of useful tips for others. Keep posting. The tips you provided here are timeless. It’s important to not only share your content on social media, but to have a good strategy where everyone benefits from the content you provide.
Thanks for your kind words, Amelia. I will continue providing guidance through the content I write.
Great topic you have shared with us! Blogging is something that has the potential for success in nearly any industry. However, this slim potential doesn’t translate into big bucks or Internet success for everyone. Dreaming of a career as a famous blogger won’t translate into real success if we aren’t equipped for the job.
You do make a valid point, Helen. Dreaming of a career as a famous blogger does not always translate to that. It does take hardwork, determination and knowing the right people to be successful online. Hope you are enjoying your week? Thanks for stopping by.
I never enjoy success in my blogging life not so long, Your tips for success is something new to me, gave me some boost to move on and hold on to my blogging life. I didn’t earn much from blogging but I think I will earn some bucks on day. Your writing style tells you are an experienced writer and a blogger as well. Thank you for the article.
Abhilash PS recently posted…Beautiful Music WordPress Themes
Hi Abhilash,
I am glad this article motivated you. Blogging is not easy but can be fruitful. I make money because of my blogging so I know. You will earn from your blog one day, just be focused, develop solid relationships with the right people and apply blogging strategies that work. Thanks for visiting my blog. I do hope to see more of you.