This process acts in some ways like a sales funnel, moving people in your circles from potential follower to mutual follower, and from mutual follower to +1’ers, while at the same time keeping those who are not active in G+ from gumming up the works.

So, where do I get all those people to add to my initial quarterly circles?

Easy…join communities that are related to your niche or are likely sources to sell your type of products to, making sure you turn the notifications to “on” at the time you join.

Then, just follow the ones that are actively posting when you get notifications or email alerts (you can also add the people that actively respond to their posts…they are usually the best bet to end up in your +1 circle).

The result...over time will be a building list of mutual followers and growing list of active +1’ers. While I do not believe it is possible to reach the 5,000 total limit with the +1 circle, it may very well be possible to reach it with mutual followers. I will certainly be giving it a go, as I continue to grow my online business.