Bonus: How Laura Erdem Uses Go-to-Network

Transcript: 

For me, one of the biggest moments of pride came when I reached out to the founder of one of our competitors. He’s no longer running the company because it was sold, but he’s still widely respected—almost like the godfather of attribution.

I said, “Andy, hi. You’re connected to this person. Do you know them?”

He replied, “Sure. What are you working on?” I explained the project, and then asked, “Would you be willing to vouch for us and make an introduction?”

And he said, “Of course.”

Not only did that intro help us close the deal, but ever since, he’s continued to send new connections our way. It actually turned into an entirely new demand generation channel, all because we asked. He trusted me, he trusted our company, and that trust opened the door to even more opportunities.

That’s the power of networking. It’s as old as sales itself—long before computers—when business was simply about people connecting with people. “Who do you know? Can you introduce me?” Somewhere along the way, we lost sight of that. Now we hide behind screens, firing off messages, thinking that’s the easiest way to sell. But it’s not. We’re still human, and the fastest way to build real connections is still through people.

And here’s the thing: if your entire “network” is just people you’ve clicked “connect” with on LinkedIn—but don’t actually know—that’s not going to get you far. It starts with the people you already know, the ones you’ve built trust with along the way.

Another example: not long ago, someone from a well-known company tried to book a demo with us. But the demo didn’t convert. Naturally, we followed up—emails, LinkedIn messages—but got nothing. Silence.

I knew I was connected to a few people from that company on LinkedIn, but I didn’t really know them. Reaching out directly would’ve still been cold. So instead, I went to someone I do know: David Walsh at Limelight.

He told me, “I don’t know the person you’re trying to reach, but I know someone else on their team really well. Write me an email—I’ll forward it to him, and he’ll pass it along.”

David did exactly that. At first, nothing happened. But the very next day, three people from that company booked demos and joined the call.

That’s what happens when you tap into your network—not just connections, but real relationships. When people who care about you are willing to forward that email or make that introduction, it carries weight. It opens doors.

That’s the real magic of referrals.