“It’s not what you know, it’s who you know” is one of those phrases that can explain everything and absolutely nothing, depending on who is saying it.
It came up in my conversation with Richard James Rogers, who joined me from Thailand to talk about teaching, writing and building a corporate training business. What interested me was what sat underneath the introductions: the experience he already had, the reputation he was building and the person who helped him recognise a different use for his skills.
For anyone running a business, there are useful questions in that. What do people know you for? What would they feel comfortable recommending you for? And is there something in your experience that you have become so used to that you barely notice it?
The work you know so well you overlook it
Richard explained that his first book began as something he wanted to read himself. He was recording techniques that were working in his classroom so he could return to them. The starting point was a practical need, rather than an elaborate publishing strategy.
Later, despite having taught and written a book, he found himself wondering what else he could do. He described feeling stuck and believing he did not have many transferable skills. A conversation through the British Chamber of Commerce in Thailand helped him see corporate training as a possibility.
The skills were already there. He needed to recognise where else they might be useful. That doesn’t mean every piece of experience should become a new offer, but it does make me wonder how often we dismiss something because it feels ordinary to us.
An introduction still needs something behind it
Richard spoke about the book, his blog and the work he had shared online helping people understand what he did. Those things gave a new conversation some substance.
If someone introduces you to a potential customer, can they understand the problem you help with and see enough relevant experience to work out whether there might be a fit?
If nobody is sure what to recommend you for, another contact may not help. Your offer or the evidence behind it might need attention first.
A referral carries somebody else’s reputation too
“People have to trust you. You have to be reliable and credible,” Richard said. He also explained that most of his business now comes through referrals.
A recommendation lends someone your credibility. You want to believe they will follow through, treat people properly and be honest about what they can deliver.
Reputation is shaped by the expectations you set, your delivery and how you respond when something goes wrong. Those are the experiences people remember when asked for a recommendation.
Richard’s experience won’t be everybody’s, but it is worth asking what gives people confidence in your business before requesting more introductions.
A useful conversation can reveal a commercial opportunity
Richard had been looking at his experience through the lens of his existing work. Someone else helped him see a different application.
In a business, that might be an existing service that solves a problem for a different customer, knowledge that could support a more valuable offer, or a strength that has never been properly explained. It might also be an idea that sounds appealing but doesn’t stand up once you look at demand, pricing or the time involved.
A wider commercial view helps you test the possibility before adding another service to an already crowded week. Can it produce work the business can deliver well?
Something to try this week
Choose one thing people regularly ask you for help with. Write down the problem they are trying to solve and one example of how your experience has helped.
Then ask someone who knows your work: “What would you recommend me for?” Listen to the answer before explaining what you hoped they would say.
If those two things are different, there may be something worth exploring in your offer, your positioning or the way you explain your work. You don’t need to turn it into an entirely new business by lunchtime, tempting though that can be.
Watch or listen to the conversation
You can watch my full conversation with Richard James Rogers on YouTube or listen on Spotify.
Find Richard at https://richardjamesrogers.com/, explore his corporate training at https://richardjamesrogers.com/corporate-training-workshops/, or browse his books at https://www.amazon.com/stores/Richard-James-Rogers/author/B017OVU06Q.
If this has raised a question about your own business, I work with founders and SMEs across Structure, Brand, People and Growth, helping them understand what needs attention and put commercial priorities into practice. Explore commercial consultancy at https://www.thecomplicatedcoach.co.uk/consultancy, or let’s have a conversation.
