The Key Elements Of A Great Networking Message

We all know that networking is an absolutely essential element to any professional’s career. Some reading this may even have a system documented on paper or in a spreadsheet - such systems ensure that they are consistently reaching out to their network to stay in touch and offer genuine help, thus building real relationships of value. 

But when is the right time to reach out for help or advice, and what are the key elements of a great networking message? I listened to an interview with a senior executive, in which he discussed the five questions that run through this mind when someone writes to him asking for something. We can find the key elements of a great networking message by looking at the questions and thinking about how to answer them effectively.

Question 1. Who are you? 

Let the person you are emailing or sending a LinkedIn message to who you are and give them a chance to work out some sort of connection or context. Mention where you know each other from, where you met, where you worked together, people you know in common, the same business that you’re in, etc. 

Question 2. What do you want? 

Before we look more closely at this question, it is important to stress that your message needs to be bespoke. It should be personalised specifically for the recipient and not a generic, copy-and-paste message sent out to a bunch of contacts. This also means doing your research into the individual and their business, although of course be mindful of making assumptions - it’s ok to be a little circumspect in your message. Suggested lines you can use include: 

• I am contacting you because…
• I want to explore the possibility of working for you
• I would like to introduce you to … because I think they could be a useful contact for you because… 

Question 3. What’s in it for me? 

Let the person know what value they can expect and how they can benefit by helping you. If you are looking for a job, then a sentence about how your skills and experience (your value proposition) may be a valuable addition to their team/business.

The recipient of your message is likely to want to help you for only a few reasons. Perhaps they are just the kind of person who likes to help people if they can. They may know you and like you and do it for that reason. Perhaps they are an active networker and know that what goes around comes around. Or, indeed, they can immediately see that what you are offering will be of value to their interests.

Question 4. Why should I believe you?

Here is where you can establish your credibility. If you have already said that you are great at project management, now is the time to back it up with a five word  example of an impressive project that you have run (we want to keep this email/message pithy so that the reader does not have to spend too much time on it). You could also refer them to your (hopefully) excellent LinkedIn Profile and it’s another opportunity to gently display the research that you have done, which will show that you are thorough and diligent.

Question 5. What do you want me to do?

Be very specific with this because it is a pain for busy people especially to have to rack their brains and guess at what action you would like them to take. Make it an easy request for them to fulfill and something that does not require too much effort. Make it something which respects their time. Make it clear, for example, ‘is there anyone in this specific field in these three firms a, b and c who you could introduce me to?’

Finally, gratitude is very important. You have asked someone to spend time reading your message and then to take action for your benefit. It is very imortant that you make it very clear that you are grateful for them taking the time and effor to read your email / Linkedin message and you are grateful for anything that they can do to help.

I hope that you have found this useful and I would be most grateful if you could Like, Comment and Share this if you would like to. Thank you.