I recently took on a client who was at one time a very senior person
at a very big company.  Right now, he advises some very very big
companies, and knows a bunch of CEOs personally.  (I'm being fairly
generic in the name of propriety).
 I'm a computer consultant, and he seems to be happy with the work
I've done at his home so far.
 Obviously, this person is well connected.  What I am hoping is that I
can leverage this relationship into something more.  I don't want a
job from anyone, but I would love to get some consulting work, or at
the very least have access to some of the training facilities that
some of the companies he advises has.  As it happens, at least one of
his neighbors is also a client of mine.  This person told me she was
suprised that I knew this guy, but went on to tell me that he was
extremely nice.  (I concurred with what she said.)
 Any ideas on how I can approach this person and see if and/or they can help me?
I'm very honest and straightforward, schmoozing, flattering, BSing,
etc are not strong suits of mine, mostly because I don't engage in
that sort of behavior.

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Clarification of Question by pcventures-ga on 15 Dec 2003 21:42 PST

Everyone - thanks for the insights and encouragement!

pcventures...

You said:

"I'm a computer consultant, and he seems to be happy with the work
 I've done at his home so far."

I've also done computer consultation in clients' homes,
and it seems completely within reason to mention the fact
that you would appreciate any referrals he could make,
based on his satisfaction with your services. You can
even clarify that you prefer to obtain new business by
way of referrals from satisfied customers.

When you say "so far" it implies that you might be 
working for him again, so you might opt to wait until
then to mention this in an "honest and straightforward"
way. On the other hand, if time is of the essence, I
don't think it would be at all unreasonable to give
him a call to inquire if the services you performed 
are still functioning as expected, and to mention your
interest in his ability to refer you to others or to
refer others to you.

sublime1-ga

Well, here is the issue - ordinarily, I usually mention referrals at
the first visit I make.
 But this is different than people telling neighbors, friends,
business associates, etc about my services.
 This is about addressing specifically the connections he has to major
corporations and their resources.
 I think your comment has me on the right track, but I'd like some
feedback addressing that point.

I've participated in many CEO/President/Exec. VP/VP meetings in my
career. The thing I really like about dealing with people at this
level is that they say what they mean -- no filters, other than the
usual diplomacy.  What is holding you back from saying, "Mr. Jones, if
you are happy with my work, I would appreciate it if you would mention
me should your business contacts express a need for services similar
to mine."

What are you scared of?  That he will say "No"?  If so, you haven't
lost anything more than if you had not asked in the first place.
(THINK about that sentence for a few minutes....)  I really can't
imagine that he would say that if he is truly happy with your work.

Bottom line: If you don't ask... you don't get.  Perhaps you should
think about what could happen by NOT asking...........

Muster up the courage to ask, practice it in front of the mirror if
you need to,  role play with a family member or friend, and GO FOR IT!
 You can do it!!!!!

Good luck!
Margi-ga