The fact that I first met Devin Sizemore when he ran a cat cafe in Reno speaks volumes to his networking ability, as I’m neither a cat person nor a person who hangs out regularly at random cat cafes.

While Devin no longer owns the cat cafe, his business savvy continues. He is the ultimate connector, which Heidi and I discovered (or at least, I re-discovered) recently at the NCET Business Expo, when we ran into him and started discussing his business networking group devoted to B2B professionals, business owners, and high-net-worth individuals who want to grow their networks strategically, called the ACES Connection Group.

Oddly, we later discovered that all three of us also went to the same high school in Reno (admittedly, quite a few years apart), so the connection connection (yes, that’s an adjective and a noun) just keeps getting connectier (another adjective, this one totally made up).

Below, I asked him four questions about his work and his best tips for connecting.

~ Mikalee

First4 Questions with Devin Sizemore (not 40, Because No One Has Time for That…)

What would you say are 4 critical steps in establishing strong, meaningful connections?

Devin’s Response

1. 1. Always Add Value: You need to add value to the relationship as soon as possible. Most people think you need to add value through your product or service, but you should only do so if someone asks. You should look at adding value by making meaningful introductions to the person, providing resources or information, or helping them solve a problem that they identified during your conversations.
   2. Control What You Can Control: You need to make sure you are controlling the process from how you set goals to the language you are using. So often people leave too much up to chance or “hope” the other person will take action. You need to make sure you are the one taking action and that you control every aspect of the relationship building process.
   3. There Is Value In Every Relationship: Although a relationship may not seem to have value today, you never know when it might be valuable to you, thus you need to treat every relationship as if it is a high-value relationship.
   4. Never Make Assumptions About A Connection: Often this is where people mess up most. They limit who they will connect with and/or meet with because of some perception of value. You need to be open to meeting everyone. You will be surprised at where your next client, friend, strategic partnership, or referral comes from.

You’ve written a book about networking called “Connection Expansion”: What motivated you to write this book, and what are you hoping readers take away from it? 

Devin’s Response

I had a two-fold motivation for writing the book. First, I wanted to write the book as I work with authors weekly through the work I do with Million Dollar Author and I wanted to go through the process as a client and be able to experience the process as a client and also experience the benefits of having a book. Second, I wanted to clearly document a system which I have spent the last decade refining. I know by sharing this system with the world, I have a better chance of helping to facilitate 1,000,000 connections, which will have an unfathomable impact in the world. 

What’s your favorite networking podcast (or alternatively, website/social media site)?

Devin’s Response

I don’t have a favorite… I listen and read the things that are recommended and let that guide me. I have created a book recommendations page for some books I recommend. I am also on a lot of podcasts as a guest and each of those podcasts tends to be well aligned to building a business or growing as a professional. (Explore his recent podcasts.)

One of the steps in our “Create Your Own Closure Map” workbook, Step #34, is about documenting your firsts and faves. So please tell us: Who was your favorite teacher, and why?

Devin’s Response

Mrs. Carter was my favorite teacher. She was my English and Journalism teacher in high school [McQueen High School in Reno]. She inspired and supported my passion for writing, leading me to run the school newspaper and even to win and go on a scholarship trip to Washington DC. Her support in high school laid the foundation for my passion for writing, which lead me to switch my focus in college and get degrees in English and Journalism.

About Devin Sizemore:

“I am a serial entrepreneur whose superpower is making high-impact connections that open up huge opportunities for those being connected. This has lead to the development of the Connection Expansion System, which the duplicatable and scalable system for generating predictable referrals. Although I primarily am asked to talk about topics in and around the Connection Expansion Book, I can talk about a wide-variety of business related topics having owned a marketing agency, co-working space, manufacturing company, cat cafe, and consulting agency. I have worked with over 600 businesses on scaling their business and building the systems that create sustainable growth.” Check out his expanded story.