Meditate on this, Entrepreneur: Upward networking
To succeed at networking, you must go outside your box.
Ask yourself: “is my current network a self-limiting ceiling?” If you’re like most people, you’ll answer yes.
To correct the naturally myopic nature of most human networks, make it a personal goal to network for upward expansion. A single contact with significant influence is worth more than 100 peon* contacts
* an ode to Warcraft
Great point. Good networking will get you out of your comfort zone because the people you need to contact to greatly expand your business are usually farther ahead in the game than you.
This can be intimidating but it’s good to remember that those people were once in your position, too.