Through reading Rabbi Daniel Lapin's book 'Thou Shall Prosper,' he constantly speaks on networking and how to increase the number of people you know.
One of the ideas I hadn't really considered until reading the book was how many people everyone knows. He talks about how in his synagogue, there are morning prayer meetings for every day of the week, and typically a group of 10 men shows up every time. After the prayer service, there are normally some light discussions before people head off to work; through that example, he talks about how he isn't meeting with 9 other people; he speaks with 81 people. Each one of those men typically knows at least 9 other people, and so getting to know one person, you may not have something in common with them, but they may know someone that is.
Putting it in the light of, it's not who you know now, but it's who those you know are in contact with is what really makes the difference. I did a small version of this almost by mistake a few months ago. I decided to ask one of the business leaders my family was in contact with about getting into a mastermind group. He then referred me to a networking guy who knew many people, and through that one initial connection, I am now in contact with many business leaders in the fields that I desire to go into.
After reading this book, it's kicked me off to do even more networking, and I've been put in contact with some very insightful leaders that's accelerated my growth even faster.
Key takeaways:
1) You have the ability to get in touch with hundreds of people
2) The guys you get in contact with may not do what you do, but they may know a guy
3) Start by asking questions and show interest in getting in contact