Thoughts of a Predicate Hustler #15: Network Building for Dummies
Thoughts of a Predicate Hustler #15: Network Building for Dummies
Before I get into the topic at hand, before I even give praise and honor the “King of Pop” I want to give a special shout out to all the rappers, authors, businesspeople and analysts who feel that this is the most opportune time to cash in on his passing–feel free to feel ashamed of yourselves. As I bounce from one of my favorite blog sites to another or glance at the new press releases made available I can’t help but feel a little nauseated at just how far people will go to capitalize on not just a celebrity but a person passing.
I see myriads of “Best of” compilations filled with Michael’s music with some asinine DJ yelling or tagging all over the songs or internet rappers dropping tribute mixtapes supposedly “in honor” of dude–that’s bogus because you could’ve just as easily done this when he was alive but now it’s “I’m going to drop this and slap his name on it, hopefully it’ll make my name hot too.” Nah man, it simply doesn’t work that way in my eyes. That’s just one side of it, I’ve seen (and I kid you not) companies advertising how you should learn from MJ and buy software that will allow you to “preserve your legacy”…are you serious right now? I mean, really, are you serious right now?
I completely understand grieving for the man, he was one of the biggest influences to a lot of people’s childhood but if you are trying to market, sell or otherwise garner attention for yourself through him dying, do us all a favor and look up the word morality because it’s obvious you’re deprived.
Okay, post-rant status and flight on schedule, I wanted to break down the core components of network building. Being that my background is entertainment journalism, I know a thing or two about relationships and have made tons more than I lost because the first thing you have to understand about having a relationship with, and in this aspect I don’t care who, anyone you have to understand what it is that you both are getting out of it. It could be exposure, money or some other gratification but without some end result you’re going to quickly forget them and vice versa. If they can somehow help you out, you don’t want that. To help you not burn a bridge that you might potentially need later, I’m going to walk you through some of the more intermediate rules of the game (assuming that you have already been introduced to the contact beforehand).
Besides the end result, you should understand that there are certain limitations that come along with knowing someone, especially if they’re a little further on in their career than you are. For one, don’t blow up the contact’s phone, Twitter and Facebook about updates on whatever it is you want them to do for you. The fact that they are even considering what you asked should be a confirmation that you did things correctly so don’t mess it up by dropping notes every few days. One follow up should be enough, given about 3-4 days and if really necessary, one more a week afterwards. If they’re as interested in what you’re saying as you think they are, they will find time to hit you back. In rare cases it may take a little longer but if two weeks goes by with no response, push that aside and pitch elsewhere. There’s never one way to do anything and they’ll remember you once you can do something for them.
The next thing to remember and it goes with the last point perfectly, is that in networking you have to be honest, reliable, accessible and willing to do exactly what it is you said you would. Nothing will sink a partnership faster than overstating your abilities and under-delivering, being harder than hell to get in touch with or not holding up your end of the bargain. Perfect example: a good friend of mine who does publicity was working with a young artist who had a somewhat moderate hit out a couple years back and was looking to bounce back with a vengeance. He dropped a new record (which I’m sure you heard if you hit a club in the past few months) with a music video featuring a larger artist from NY and it was looking very good for him. He landed some face time with the possibility of him having his own reality show with the networks and everything looked like it was going to roll, right? Not long after he dissed one of the game’s living legends, got ghost and pissed her off so badly she didn’t want to work with him anymore. Long story short, he didn’t do what he was supposed to and it definitely hurt his comeback chances. Treat your contacts like royalty and if they’re quality, you’ll get the same in return.
Check back next week for part two of Networking for Dummies.
Stay up, stay focused and stay grinding
-CZA
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