My Undefeated, Never Fail Networking Hack

Everyone has tips for networking. Here are 20 of my very best networking tips: https://www.lauragassnerotting.com/blog/2018/06/19/top-20-best-ever-tips-for-absolutely-super-awesome-networking

And, that's usually where it ends. You network, you get the business card, you have the follow up conversation.

So, how do you turn that networking moment into relationship?

A relationship is when that person who gave you their card thinks about you days, weeks, months, even years into the future, and speaks your name in rooms filled with opportunity. It could be:

• a job for which you'd be perfect
• the project assignment that puts you in line for that job
• an investment opportunity that is a sure fire winner
• a media appearance or keynote invitation (ask me how I know!)
• or, even a blind date with the person of your dreams
• and on and on...

People make these decisions about things you care about. And these people have people that they care about.

Are you following me?

We get distracted by the things we care about, and we get distracted by the things they care about. But, these people aren't thinking about you, or their own things most of the time... they are thinking about their people.

Are you following me now? If you care about their people, they will care about you.

Perhaps their brother is maniacally into a certain long-distance sports team, and you send them a t-shirt next time you fly through that airport. Perhaps their kid is trying to get in shape for an important event, and you send them your macro tracking plan. Perhaps their spouse is an entrepreneur and you just came across an article (or wrote a book) about the moment in the entrepreneurial arc they find themselves in. Perhaps they are starting to run marathons with their sister so you send them matching recovery care packages. Perhaps their daughter is selling Girl Scout Cookies or their son is selling Boy Scout popcorn; guess what's now in your pantry?

Perhaps I know this for a fact because I've done all of these and more.

I stopped worrying about the stuff my people cared about, and I started thinking about the people they cared about. Where I found common ground, I built honest, authentic, deep relationships.

So, The One Thing you need to do this week is to make a list of the people who you want to care about you, and find something about their people to care about.

And, if you're not (literally) following me now, sign up for my newsletter here, because I always send the best to my subscribers first, and see how I turned this hack into what's now been more than six appearances and counting on Good Morning America: https://www.lauragassnerotting.com/newsletter