Most people know
how valuable having a strong professional network can be, but still despise
"networking." I think much of the reason why people hate it so much
is because of their pre-conceived notions of what networking entails.
Networking doesn't
have to be dry and forced if you don't want it to be. In fact, it can be even
more valuable if you don't treat it that way. Below are six ways to make
networking suck less.
Be passionate and
make it fun. Instead of trying to "network," try to have fun, get
to know people and build mutually-beneficial relationships over time. Remember,
meeting people is fun! Learn to appreciate the experience of getting to know
someone and building a relationship. Talk about stuff you like to talk about
and ask questions that you legitimately want to hear the answer to.
Don't go to events. I actually hate the term
"networking" because most people associate it with big conferences
and events with lots of people selling things and giving out business cards.
Don't go to those kinds of events.
Don't get me wrong,
you can meet some awesome people at big events. Conferences and events are a
great way to start meeting people in a given industry and forming a network.
However, after building up an initial base, I've found that the best networking doesn't happen
at events.
Ask for
introductions or reach out directly. Instead of going to events and hoping
that you will serendipitously run into someone that you'd love to meet, be more
intentional. Think strategically about the people you want to have in your
network and make a list. Find them on LinkedIn, and if you have any common
connections, ask the shared connection for an introduction. If you don't have
any common connections, try reaching out directly.
If you are someone
they would benefit from knowing, they will gladly accept the introduction or
respond to your outreach. To "warm up" your cold call, try
interacting with them online by responding to their tweets or commenting on
their blog. Make sure you have a strong online presence so that when they
receive your or your shared contacts email they can easily see that you are
someone they would benefit from knowing.
Host your own
events. Invite a group of people and ask each of them to invite a couple
more people. Good people usually know other good people, so if you invite good
people, you will likely meet even more good people. The event could be a
breakfast, happy hour, dinner, basketball game or pretty much anything you
enjoy doing. Building relationships with your existing contacts is sometimes
more valuable than meeting new people. In addition, by filtering this way,
you're more likely to meet great people.
Blog and tweet to
reach a wider audience. Amazingly, blogging can actually help you accomplish
several core networking strategies. Blogging is a great way to engage your
existing contacts, as well as reach a new audience.
Writing content
that's valuable to your audience and displays your expertise is an effective
way to reach a wider audience. It's also more "scalable" in that it
enables you to reach more people in the same amount of time than having
individual meetings or attending individual events.
Connect with
connectors. Connectors are people who know a lot of people and make a
regular practice of introducing their contacts to each other. They spend a lot
of time networking and meeting new people. Knowing connectors gives you more eyes on the world and saves you
time. If and when they find someone that you would benefit from knowing, they
will introduce you.
Key takeaways:
·
Networking doesn't have to suck unless you make it suck. Remind
yourself to have fun meeting people, chatting about shared interests, and
building relationships over time.
·
Instead of going to business-card-swapping events hoping for
serendipity, network more intentionally by meeting people through
introductions, smaller private events and cold outreach.
·
Blogging, social media and connecting with connectors are great
ways to network in a more time effective way.
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