To be successful at betting you need a wide variety of skills and traits. The one skill that will potentially elevate you to the next level and make the biggest difference is the ability to network and network effectively. There are some incredibly sharp brains in this industry and the ability to gain access to them can make an enormous difference to what you are doing. Whether it be sharing and discussing ideas, sharing information, complementary skillsets or even just further networking.
It is incredibly difficult to be a success in this industry on your own. So much of your success will be aligned to the people you meet and interact with along the way. I am lucky that I met some very sharp people at Betfair twenty years ago and they continue to be amongst my closest friends. So many of the people who do this for a living do so with people they have met at previous places of employment. It is much harder to do that these days as the quality of those working in those environments has generally decreased significantly.
It is why there is so much value in things like Smart Bash (UK) or Bet Bash (US). You get to meet incredibly smart people (way smarter than you) who have their particular niches and strengths. How you develop those relationships is like most things in life. Whilst it is easier than ever to interact with people you don’t know through a medium such as Twitter, it is also harder than ever with things like forums now a bygone era. Nowadays it will generally be a very closed shop with private chats/channels/networks.
I think the one thing with networking is that you have to realise you need to bring something to the party. People aren’t just going to take pity on you. They will be wanting something that you can offer them. And vice versa. It can be very tough sometimes to see the bigger picture with networking. Often you just cannot be bothered. Very few people like being out of their comfort zone. Some people find it easy. Some don’t. Unfortunately, to be really successful at it, it takes time and effort like most things in life. You have to try and understand peoples motives.
I am pretty bad at networking and always have been. Unfortunately my first thought is what does this person want? I am very sceptical by nature. It is very easy to end up in your own little bubble. I am trying to get better at it but it is not easy, particularly with the time constraints of three children.
Apart from touting (joke) the best piece of advice I could give someone coming into this industry would be to make sure you excel at networking. Make sure you have something you can offer these people though. Some skillset.
ProPunting 