There’s another thing in the work world of equal value to your skills and reputation: your Rolodex. That is, the contacts and connections you have collected and fostered over the years between family, friends, school, careers and beyond.
You’re a Rich Bitch, so I can guarantee that there are a few “winners” in there; contacts that are particularly valuable, not just to you but to others as well. Know their worth—and your worth, too. And guess what? You could stand to make some actual money doing so. That’s right, guys do this all the time. It’s called the “finder’s fee,” and it works like this:
- You have a contact of particular value (such as a potential investor for a new company).
- You offer to connect your friend/colleague with said person (either by offering to directly, or because they asked you to—it doesn’t really make a difference who initiates).
- You make the introduction and, as long as the meeting goes through, you charge a small fee for it (maybe 10% to 15% of the final deal, depending on the level of awesomeness of the contact and the work between them that comes out of the meeting). After all, they wouldn’t have had that new bit of business without you.
Feel a little used car salesman to you? It did to me the first time I heard about it, too. Get over it. Guys do this all the time. Your mad networking skills are not free, nor should they be. If friends/colleagues want to tap into your Rolodex, think about making ’em pay the toll.
