Have you ever looked a job description for Vice President of Program Development at a television network? Even if you don't want that job for yourself, you should know what they do. After all, you may someday be in that Vice President's office pitching your program idea.
You would see that one of the key requirements of the job is "good relationship with producers," or, "a good rolodex or contact list." Development executives are expected to know the best producers in the business and be able to leverage their relationship to bring the best shows to the network.
Last week I wrote that every contact counts. But making a contact is just the start. Follow up with your contacts. Let them know what you're doing. Ask them about themselves. Become a resource for them. Make your contact a friend.
Mark McCormack, the legendary founder of IMG, put it this way. "All things being equal, people prefer to buy from their friends. All things not being equal, people still prefer to buy from their friends."
This is important for you, and not just for business reasons. At the end of my favorite movie, It's a Wonderful Life, the angel Clarence leaves these words for George Bailey (played by Jimmy Stewart):
"No man is a failure who has friends."
There's great truth in that.
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