There are no shortcuts in business. In order to be successful there are some things that you must know. These are not all of them by a long shot, but IMHO they are 6 of the most important.

1. Know how to sell

Selling means being able to convey why your product or service, which may be you if you are looking for a job, will make things better. Selling is never about convincing. It is always about helping.

2. Put yourself in the shoes of your customer

If you know how to put the person you are dealing with in a position to succeed, you can be successful. In order to do this, you must be able to quickly understand the needs and demands of that person and those of the company(s) they work for or with. Every person and industry is different. This is something that comes from investing incredible amounts of time to understand different industries, businesses, roles, and what has made them work and not work.

It is a never ending process of learning about what companies need. What people in those companies need and how they work. If you don't understand what it takes to make the people and companies you work with better, you don't understand how to be successful.

3.  Know as much as you can about technology

The beautiful thing about technology is that it changes every day. Look at any tech you see today or have ever seen. Any tech you have read about. It was invented by someone(s). They know the product better than anyone else. On the day that it is released, you are as knowledgeable about that technology as everyone else in the world. From there its just about effort to keep learning.

If you are one of the few people that know the new technologies, you are in a unique position to put yourself in the shoes of your customer(s) and determine if the new technology can be of benefit.  New technologies enable change and where there is change there is opportunity. It is up to you to figure out what that opportunity is.