10 tips to turn you into a networking ninja!
I love people. I love talking to them. I am curious about their personal stories and eager to learn from them. I love building long-term relationships and figure out ways to help each other out. This is exactly what “networking” is!
As simple as it sounds, it can be intimidating at times for many (including me) and the only way to be good at it is by practicing. To do so, I try to look out for coolest events happening in the neighborhood, show up shamelessly and talk to at least three people for more than five minutes each. I happened to come across one such event — a workshop on meaningful networking by Nitzan Cohen Arazi, co-founder of Jolt. She came up with a set of cool tips that can help anyone turn into a networking ninja!
Pro-tip 1: Bookmark this page!
Tip1:: Business Cards: Everyone gives a conventional business card of a typical size of 8.5 X 5.5 cms. A few of them may have a cool logo on it but it’s still a just another business card. Why not design something new and cool. Get a smaller size, a squarer shape, a thumbnail-sized picture of yours, a cool color scheme or a theme worth-remembering. At the end of the day, the people you meet must remember you in a good way. Using an atypical business card is a great way to achieve that.
PS: I understand a certain section of people might not be able to use this tip, such as employees of large corporations and government, but for entrepreneurs, freelancers and students — this works like magic!
Tip 2:: Elevator pitch: This is an old one, but it’s so important. Build your 20–30-second story, a compelling one! Practice as many times as possible until you can say it in your sleep. But don’t pitch yourself to anyone and everyone whom you meet. Be smart about when and whom to do so.
Pro-tip 2: If possible, get a wingman/woman before going for an event. This will ensure that you will not be awkwardly wandering across the arena. An added advantage is that he/she can help you escape an uncomfortable conversation.
Tip 3:: Food: If the session is over food or a pre-event cocktail, that’s a great conversation starter. Everyone loves food and everyone loves talking about food. If you know a thing about the cuisine, show it off and take it from there. It’s a guaranteed way to build rapport.
Tip 4: Bad opener: “What do you do?” Your guys must have already answered this question seventeen times by now.
Good opener: “What brings you here? What do you like about your job?” These are far less generic and would still answer the same question as in the previous line.
Tip 5:: Dissolve elegantly. Don’t just stand there and keep the poor fellows bombarding with questions. Pitch yourself, ask them one or two questions, see if there is a mutual fit, exchange cards, thank them for their time and leave. Look out for the body language of the person to see if they are enjoying the conversation.
Pro-tip 3: If attending a conference, it’s useful to make a “conference scheduler” to note down some of the relevant people attending, quick notes on their profile and agenda of conversation, if you get a chance to meet them. If possible, reach out to them online before the event and schedule a short meeting right away.
Tip 6:: 80–20 rule: You thought 80–20 works only for management consulting? It works for networking as well. During the conversation, you should talk 20% of the time and let them talk for the rest (80%). That’s a successful conversation!
Tip 7:: Remember names: Another way to build instant rapport is to remember and call out their names during the conversation. This a scientifically proven way to make yourself more memorable.
Pro-tip 4: Use the back of the business card to note down the summary of the interaction. This will help in drafting the follow-up email.
Tip 8:: The follow-up email: While it should be a no-brainer, another way to stand out is while drafting the follow-up email. An easy to do so is by starting with a subject line that summarizes the interaction or a call to action. For example, ”Your recent article is so spot-on!/ Let’s meet for coffee next week?”
Tip 9:: Create value: While writing the follow-up email, try to create value for them. This will help to make you memorable to them. A quick hack is to do a quick search for related articles/ videos or anything and share over the follow-up email. This is a super-helpful tip which I now routinely use.
Tip 10:: Be genuine: Be genuinely curious to know about the other person and the rest will follow.
Author: Sandipan is a Biochemistry Ph.D. candidate at Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel.
