Module 3: Reframing Your Network Understanding

Note: This module includes a short multiple-choice question You’ll find the question at the top of this transcript and the correct answer at the very bottom. Read through the module first before scrolling down for the answer!

Question:

4. What is your Network Addressable Market (NAM)?

           A) Everyone in your Total Addressable Market (TAM)

           B) Everyone who follows you on LinkedIn

           C) All current customers and prospects

           D) The people you can reach through warm, first- or second-degree connections

Transcript:

One of the biggest misunderstandings sellers have about Go-to-Network is assuming their network isn’t big enough. They’ll say things like, I’ve already asked everyone I know… we’re too early stage… we don’t have many investors.

But here’s the truth: it’s rarely about how many people you know. It’s about how well you understand and use the network you already have.

Most people stay stuck in transactional thinking. They look at their network and ask, who can I get something from? That’s the wrong mindset. The real question is: who do I have a relationship with, or could build one with, that might open new doors for both of us?

This is where we introduce a different way of thinking about your market. You’ve probably heard of TAM (Total Addressable Market) and SAM (Serviceable Addressable Market). But there’s a third category that most people overlook: your Network Addressable Market, or NAM.

Your NAM is the slice of your SAM that you can actually reach through first and second-degree connections: Friends, past coworkers, investors, customers, mutual LinkedIn contacts, even people from old Slack communities.

It’s smaller than your TAM or SAM, but it’s real, and it’s yours. We’ve seen sellers close enterprise deals from NAM connections they hadn’t spoken to in years, simply because they reached out, added value, and reactivated the relationship.

And here’s the kicker: it’s not just about who you know, it’s about who they know. That “no” you got last week? It’s not the end of the line. Between “closed lost” and “closed won” is a whole world of opportunity.

For example, we’ve seen reps take a polite “not right now” and turn it into four new meetings just by ending a discovery call with a simple question: “Totally understand the timing. Is there anyone else in your network who might find this valuable or interesting?” That’s Go-to-Network in action.

Let’s also talk about trust. Fair or not, people don’t always buy based on merit alone. They buy based on trust. And it’s much easier to be trusted when you’re already known. You don’t have to be famous, but you do have to be visible.

Visibility can take many forms:

• A warm intro from an investor.
• A customer vouching for you in their Slack community.
• A partner tagging you in a LinkedIn post.
• A mutual contact sliding into DMs saying, “You should meet them, they’re good.”
  
  

So what’s your job in this section? Reframe how you see your network. It’s not something passive. It’s not a fixed list of contacts. Your network is a dynamic, growing ecosystem, and you play an active role in shaping it.

We’ll show you how to spot the hidden connections in your network, build relationships that compound over time, and prioritize the people who open doors, not just take meetings.

Because your network isn’t just something you have. It’s something you build. And when you build it right, it becomes your biggest sales asset, not just today, but in every role you’ll ever have.

Answer:

4) D

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