Who knows ya, baby?

Philip Patston attends the Survive and Thrive creative sector forum and wonders whether business success really is all about who knows you, rather than 'who you know'.

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At the creative sector forum, Survive and Thrive, on Monday 9th November, Rhonda Kite, the brains (and braun it seems) behind the Kiwa Media Group, said something provocative, inspiring and just a little bit scary.

"It's not who you know that counts anymore," said the Maori icon of business who has been on the cover of Women Business Magazine, "it's who knows you."  

As I think back on that very simple but poignant reframe of "it's not what but who you know," it makes me realise that the business success rhetoric has once again changed - from expertise and relationships to recognition. In the friend-following world of Facebook and Twitter, not only do you have to know the right stuff and know the right people, but the right people have to want to know you.

Which means, it's getting harder and more complex to succeed in business, if Kite is right. It's relatively simple to learn stuff and, if you take the time, to learn complicated stuff that not many others know. That used to be enough. Then too many people did that, and it became necessary to know the people who wanted what you knew and would pay for it.

Now that's not enough.

Now, there are too many suppliers wanting to know the buyers, so the buyers have said, "Stop with the coffees and lunches! I'll read your satus updates instead – don't call me, I'll tweet you!" Now, you have to be followed, Googled or Binged in order to make that sale.

You have to be knowledgeable, networked and known. Is this what Kite means? Has business really come to this?

If it has, I'm relieved. I can stop worrying that I should have initiated a meeting with that potential client and I can forget the "ten nos for every yes" rule.  I'm going to redirect that energy into brilliant tweets. I'm going to trust that the universe, the Facebook God and the Twitterverse will provide.

And actually, I do. Do you?