How to make friends and influence people

In an increasingly time-pressed world, almost no one has the leisure to connect "just because." Here are some strategies that will ensure the people you want to meet with are likely to say yes.
1. Recognise where you're starting. A good friend can easily drop you a line letting you know they'll be in your city and suggest a meetup, but strangers should never presume that the other person wants to connect with them – that fact needs to be established first.

So in your initial message, you need to give them a good reason, which could be anything from a PR opportunity (such as interviewing them for your blog) to something you can teach them (how to improve their search engine optimisation).

2. Start with a modest ask. An hour or a half-hour doesn't seem like a lot of time. But if you're one of 20 or 50 requests that week – which isn't an uncommon number for busy professionals to receive – it can quickly become overwhelming. So don't ask to meet for lunch; aim smaller, so it's easy to say yes.

3. Always find a warm lead in. No matter how successful you are professionally, there are always going to be some people you'd like to meet that haven't yet heard of you.

The challenge is to break through and ensure that they view you as a colleague – someone "like them" – rather than a stranger impinging on their time. Finding mutual contacts is one of the best ways to do it. Facebook, with its "mutual friends" function, makes this simple; LinkedIn – which charts connections out to the second and third degree – makes it even easier.
In association with Harvard Business Review
For more on these matters see World at Work