3 networking tricks they don’t teach you in school
Networking, they say is an essential life skill. It opens doors to tons of opportunities, personally and professionally.
A lot of networking these days happens at events or conferences. The painful part is when you need to approach someone, ask for their business card and pitch an idea. Truth is, nobody likes to be pitched by the “sales man”.
“Hi, my name is Jack and I would love to get to know you. Here’s my business card. I work for ABC technologies and we create hardware that helps you run away from situations where people force their business cards on you” — Not a pitch that’s going to work.
“Hi, I’m Jack. I’ve read a lot about you. Can we talk? — Too desperate
“Hi, I’m Jack. What do you think about the weather today?” — Too scripted
Networking is similar to picking someone up at the bar. You can’t be too scripted. You can’t be too cheesy. You can’t be too direct. Nor can you hand out a business card hoping for the girl to call you the next day.
Networking is an art. You need to say the right thing at the right time in the right tone.
Here are 3 networking tricks you didn’t learn in school:
1. The Phone:
a. Pretend you have no network coverage on your phone.
b. Walk up to your prospect and ask if they have network coverage
c. Compliment them on their bag / purse/ suit / dress / pen
d. Apologize for not introducing yourself earlier and make a 15 second introduction
e. Ask them what they do
f. Be genuinely curious about what interests them (their job / the event they’re speaking at / a topic). E.g.: You guys have put out a great product. What markets are you targeting?
g. End the conversation with “Great meeting you. We should keep in touch (share your business card). You happen to have a business card?”
2. The Food:
a. At a lunch / dinner networking event, identify your prospect
b. Grab a plate of fish fingers and join the table your prospect is dining at
c. Gently introduce yourself “These fish fingers are amazing. How I wish I could marry a fish finger.” (Laughter break) So what are you doing at this event?
d. Be genuinely curious about what interests them (their job / the event they’re speaking at / a topic). E.g.: You’ve written a lot about security. What kind of security do you use for your devices?
e. End the conversation with “Great meeting you. We should keep in touch (share your business card). You happen to have a business card?”
3. The event:
a. “Hi, would you know what time the keynote begins?”
b. “5pm”
c. “Thanks. It’s amazing how competitive the event has been. Are you showcasing something here?”
d. Find what they’re doing at the event, use that to get to know them better. E.g.: What do you think about the presentation on digital marketing from this morning?
e. End the conversation with “Great meeting you. We should keep in touch (share your business card). You happen to have a business card?”
Good networking is what you did when you first met your best friend. Good networking looks, sounds and feels natural. And good networking takes practice.
