1. Commit Yourself to Helping Others. Before you go to any networking event, I want you to summon your most positive, can-do, helpful attitude, and I want you to not even think about getting clients, customers, or a new job. For some people, this may seem completely counter-intuitive. After all, isn’t the whole point of networking to get more business or to further your career?
The truth is, if you go into an in-person networking event just thinking about yourself, people will sniff you out in a heartbeat.
Conversely, if you commit yourself to helping others in any way possible - be it a restaurant recommendation, or a tech tip, or a book suggestion - you will be more human and people will want to help you in return.
Here’s the “hack” part - after your event, email at least 1 or 2 people you met at the event with a tip, advice, resource, or some other way to help, based on what you learned about them. This one little step will go a long way.
2. Make An Introduction. I love introducing people. If you introduce two people and they hit it off, they will always be grateful to you. Trust me on this - my parents first met on a blind date.
And people who you have introduced to someone else are more likely to return the favor. This works even with people you just met at an in-person networking event.
3. Connect with People Over their Families. You know that saying, “the easiest way to a man’s heart is through his stomach”? Well, I believe the easiest way to a networking partner’s heart is through their immediate family members.
At most networking events, people talk about work-related or industry-related subjects. That’s what everyone else does, but you don’t need to do that. You can really distinguish yourself by talking about a person’s spouse or family, if you get the right opportunity.
If you just met someone and start asking about a person’s family without the proper opening, they’re probably just going to think you’re a weirdo. But if you do get an opening, then asking about a person’s family and looking for opportunities to help their children or spouse is an excellent hack for getting to know them a lot better.
4. If You Are Shy or Introverted, Focus on Others. I get asked a lot about what advice I have for people who really hate networking because they are shy or introverted. If you are really shy and don’t like meeting new people, then the best advice I can give you is that the best conversationalists often don’t talk much at all.
People love talking about themselves, and if you ask a lot of questions and take a lot of interest in them, you don’t have to be a good conversationalist. Most people will enjoy the opportunity to speak about themselves to a captive audience. And they will enjoy speaking with you.
5. Use the 80/20 Rule for Following Up. If you were to measure the amount of time most people spend on networking activities aimed at meeting new people vs. the amount of time they spend following up with the people they already know, you’d be shocked at how imbalanced it is.
People spend too much time trying to meet new people and too little time following up with and nurturing relationships with people they already know.
In fact, your efforts should be the other way around: use the 80/20 rule (aka the Pareto Principle) to further and develop relationships with your existing network.
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