Confessions of an introverted CRE Investor hooked on Virtual CRE Meetups

Confessions of an introverted CRE Investor hooked on Virtual CRE Meetups

?As a fellow introvert I’ll to share some observations about Virtual Real Estate Meetups that might surprise you and hopefully encourage you to push past your comfort zone.?I’m going to make the case that being an introvert is not a curse.?I’m humbly going to advise you to invest in yourself and take the plunge - I’m confident that you’ll be find networking less scary and more rewarding, and that your misconceptions are holding you back.?

?A LITTLE (SHORT) BACKSTORY

?Bronson Hill and Lane Kawaoka, two mentors of mine, both encouraged me to embrace networking for personal growth.?Lane’s typically blunt (loosely paraphrased) “Isn’t it lonely being a lone wolf and isn’t it slowing your progress” question was a fantastic catalyst, as was Bronson’s gentler, but repeated, prodding.?I’ve always wanted to be in the back row during photos and never enjoyed crowds.?For too long, I accepted that being an introvert was a limiting factor; turns out I was really, really wrong.

?MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT NETWORKING

?“There are two particular things that most of us hate about having to network.?One is its baldly transactional nature. In a?Harvard Business Review?article ,?this wry definition of networking was offered: ‘the unpleasant task of trading favors with strangers.’ The other is that needing to do it feels like a vulnerability’” notes Karen Wickre[1]

As an admitted introvert I was initially fearful that I’d be bombarded with smooth-talking salespeople, offended by braggarts or worse made to feel inferior.?I couldn’t have been more wrong; what I found instead were communities of genuinely helpful, humble and kind people drawn together by a mutual interest, real estate, that made genuine connections comfortable and easy.?Opening up proved a lot easier than I’d expected, as I quickly realized we all had a lot in common dealing with the the highs and lows of CRE.

MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT INTROVERTS

“I have met so many introverts in business who talk about introversion as if it’s a malady that one must get over in order to be successful. This is wrong. Introversion is simply a preference for the inner world of ideas because this is where we get our energy. By understanding and accepting this preference, introverts can optimize time spent with their ideas to refine them and recharge. This allows them to be as powerful and persuasive as possible when networking situations arise” shares Lisa Petrilli[2]

?I regularly participate in three CRE Meetups via Zoom a week (soon to join Brian Briscoe's Tribe of Titans) with wonderful communities of people from around the country of various ages, genders, and personality types.?Myself and lots of other introverts participate and enjoy these meetings – YOU CAN TO!

?DON’T SELL YOURSELF SHORT

?“Introverts can find networking intimidating because of all the louder extroverts in the room trying to sell themselves,” says Stefan Thomas, author of Networking for Dummies and self-confessed introvert. “But introverts make the best networkers because they’re good listeners and tend to be more interested in other people than about talking about themselves.”[3]

I’ve yet to find my self among loud extroverts and typically time is allocated at the end of meetups for “shameless plugs.”?This is more tongue-in-cheek than anything, after you get to know people well it’s genuinely both interesting and insightful to hear about the services, deals, software, etc. that their pitching.

?“Some people assume that introverts don’t know how converse: they’re too awkward or shy.?That is largely untrue – they just value their own time and yours.?Get good at communicating your value proposition or any other relevant information, in less than two minutes” advises Kevin Daum of Inc.[4]

The communities of CRE Meetups are full of busy professionals and relish participants that can get to the point.?They’re genuinely interested to know what you’re working on and how they can help, including referring people for their networks.

?WRAP UP

If you’ve been on the fence about testing the waters and being a first-time participant in a Virtual CRE Networking Meetup I hope that I’ve convinced, you to wait no further and dive right in – very confident it’ll be great choice!

I can heartily endorse the Virtual CRE Meetups hosted by Angel Williams, George Roberts, and Isaac Weinberg – each has been a wonderful experience for me and I’m very grateful to each wonderful host.

[1] Karen Wickre, Ideas.Ted.Com - https://ideas.ted.com/an-introverts-advice-for-networking/

[2] Lisa Petrilli, Harvard Business Review - https://hbr.org/2012/01/the-introverts-guide-to-networ

[3] Kristie Brewer, The Guardian - https://www.theguardian.com/careers/2015/dec/10/how-to-network-introvert

[4] Kevin Daum, Inc. - https://www.themuse.com/advice/why-introverts-might-be-better-at-networking-after-all