In most cases the other person is getting your messages and is intentionally blowing you off. This happens all the time. In some cases they may not have gotten your message, but probably 99 percent of the time they got it and chose not to respond.

When you notice that you’re not getting through, take it as a sign that you need to wait for a better opportunity to build a bridge. Realise that a non-response means "not right now" as opposed to "please keep bugging me until I take your calls."

4.  Be clear on your value add.

Busy people are often on the lookout for golden opportunities; how can your proposal help them make more money?

5.  Get your approach right.

Busy people often have backdoor channels where they automatically pay more attention to incoming communication. In order to use these channels effectively, it helps if you have genuine shared interests that are somewhat uncommon.

For example, if the busy person eats an uncommon diet, and you eat a similar diet, that can be a powerful in. The less generic the backdoor, the better.

"I’m a fellow author/speaker" is so-so; it connects with me professionally, but it’s still too common to qualify as a backdoor. If it’s someone I’ve heard of and want to meet, I’m all over it. But if it’s someone I’ve never heard of, then whether or not I follow up depends on my time.

An excellent backdoor is whatever new interest your target is just getting into. The door is wide open because they probably don’t know many people who share that interest yet. So they’re often happy to connect on that basis because they’re eager to learn, share and grow.

Never try to fake an interest, but be on the lookout for shared interests that you can use to build a bridge. Busy people are often very growth-oriented. So even if you can’t identify an interest that you share, if you can teach them something that might interest them, or if you can offer them a cool experience, there’s another great in.

For example, you can offer to teach someone to play tennis or golf if you know how to play. Or offer to take someone kayaking. You don’t have to be a master to teach a beginner lesson and show someone the ropes.

Article continues on page three to eight: 12 more tips on networking effectively...