Mickey Mellen

“Your Short List should include only the people to whom you assign an influence score of three or higher. That’s because the more you surround yourself with people whose influence scores are equal to or higher than yours, the more exposed you will be to the kinds of deals, projects, and opportunities that drive your upward progress.”
― David Ackert, The Short List: How to Drive Business Development by Focusing on the People Who Matter Most

“Connectors bring you new ideas, referrals, resources, clients, or other business opportunities. They may be partners at your firm or external referral sources providing adjacent services to your industry.”
― David Ackert, The Short List: How to Drive Business Development by Focusing on the People Who Matter Most

“Another way to activate connectors is through an advisory roundtable. This mastermind forum allows you and your connectors to deepen your relationships, exchange valuable information, and boost referral activity.”
― David Ackert, The Short List: How to Drive Business Development by Focusing on the People Who Matter Most

“Every day, on numerous occasions, you are asked some version of the question: “How are you?” “How are things going?” “How’s business?” “What are you up to these days?” A generic response such as “Nothing much,” or “Crazy busy,” or “Same old, same old” squanders the opportunity to bolster your reputation within your network. Instead, answer with an update about a current project or an interesting client engagement. It is a much more authentic response to say, “Thanks for asking. I’m working on an interesting new project for a client in the energy sector and it’s going really well.” Even if the other person doesn’t inquire about the details, you will have promoted your expertise, your work ethic, your enthusiasm for what you do, and your willingness to engage in a real conversation.”
― David Ackert, The Short List: How to Drive Business Development by Focusing on the People Who Matter Most