I’ve talked about the right way to network in the past.  But that is simply a ‘means’ – what is the ‘ends’?

The ultimate goal is to make yourself into a “Weapon of Mass Connection” (WMC).  You want to make yourself the hub, the center, of a group of people where you are the thing that connects them.  You want to be the go-to person when making connections or getting referrals.  You want to do this because 1. you want to help people 2. you want to make money for other people; and in return, the unintended consequences is that 3. you’ll be on the top of people’s mind all the time and 4. they will send you business.

To actually make yourself into a WMC take a lot of work and a lot of time.  It takes a lot of time to build relationships with people – not just superficial relationships, but real ones.  You want to be able to refer a plumber to a friend just as easily as you would refer a criminal attorney to your client.  Your web of connections has to be vast and wide.  You’re an attorney, but don’t limit yourself to knowing just attorneys.  Your connections should be from all walks of life because you are dealing with clients and colleagues that have issues from all walks of life – not just legal problems.  If you can establish yourself to be the go-to guy for good referrals, then you will have achieved being a Weapon of Mass Connection.