You just have to immerse yourself in it. You should just constantly be building. That's what's going to give you the best chance of having the relevant skill set that is needed to make a difference in technology.
Most people connect then pitch. Wrong. You build real relationships by creating real value first. The conversion happens when they already trust you. Yes, you can do this with great authentic content, but there's more. Host small gatherings in your city. Invite 5-10 connections for coffee, no agenda, just connection. People buy from people they've met in person, people they like, people who have already helped them win.
In 2024, Yanni Pappas was two months into his first full-time job as a business development representative (BDR) at Workshop-an Omaha-based company that provides internal communications teams with email marketing tools priced from $5,000 to $100,000 per year-when he got transferred to a new role. Now working as a "special products BDR," he was cut off from his company's inbound lead system, making his task of landing demos with prospective customers infinitely more difficult.