Networking in the Time of Covid

Remember in the Before Times, when networking was easy? When you could fill your weekly calendar with coffees and lunches and happy hours and awards events, and plan on meeting several new people (at least) each week?

Yeah, me too. At the time, I found it exhausting, because I’m an introvert and too many face-to-face events in a week left me feeling drained and hollow, but now that everything is happening virtually, I think we’re all feeling a little nostalgic for the old days, when we didn’t have to work so darn hard at expanding our network beyond the few people (and pets) in our houses. We can also get to feel a little desperate when we look at the top of our sales funnel and see that without opportunities to meet new folks, things are looking a little thin. 

Now that winter is almost upon us, and many of our outdoor socializing and networking options have disappeared, it is more important than ever to come up with a solid, effective plan for how to network and fill the top of our sales funnel. Knowing this shift back to nearly all virtual interactions was coming, I have been working with my clients (and myself) to figure out intentional ways to get in front of new folks….and back in front of folks we’ve known for years. 

Here’s what we’re doing:

1. Repurpose (or multi-purpose) your CRM to include networking activities. Now, in addition to sales tracks, the CRM at Starling Consulting also has a networking track, setting up an easy, consistent path for all networking interactions and a place to capture those conversations. No matter how or where I’m interacting with folks, they are going right into my CRM and being put on my “Networking” track. That way I’ll never miss an opportunity to follow up, and I’ll be able to keep track of important details, follow-up triggers, and general information. 
2. Follow up on virtual networking connections systematically. So often (and this applies to in-person networking events, too), we attend a networking function, meet five or 10 or 15 new people, connect with them on LinkedIn the next morning and then never do anything more about it. Frankly, that makes the entire event a waste of our time. Instead of letting those connections die, have a specific plan for following up for more details. What I’ve found useful is creating an email template that tells your new contact more about you, and who your ideal introduction is, and asks them to reply with the same information. It’s simple, it’s easy, and it takes a quick virtual introduction and makes it more meaningful. Then, put that person on the Networking track in your CRM to ensure that you are touching base with them regularly. 
3. Make reaching out to your network part of your everyday sales efforts. Don’t wait until your pipeline starts to dry up—bake some kind of regular contact with your network into your daily routine. For me, that means sending four connection/re-connection emails out a day, with the express purpose of scheduling a 30-minute phone call or Zoom meeting just to catch up/learn more about each other. I block time on my calendar every day to do this (it takes 20 minutes, tops) and I have a >50% success rate on these emails, which means I’m filling my calendar with at least 10 meaningful conversations a week, that help me get to know my network better, and help them better understand what I’m up to these days. Again, I use email templates to make the process faster, and just customize the pertinent information. 
4. Take advantage of every opportunity. Whether you’re like me and trying to build a new business, or you are working to grow and sustain a business or sales team that you’ve been working in for years, we are living in crazy times and we can’t afford to let an opportunity slip through our fingers. I was recently added to a Slack group for entrepreneurs in my area, and I’ve been systematically setting up 30-minute introductory meetings with every single one of them, to learn more about what they do and to introduce myself. This is a brand new group of people I’ve never met before, and it’s exciting to be connected to them in a way that I can make meaningful. 
5. And finally, don’t be picky. When you are setting up your 30-minute networking calls, or following up with folks from virtual events, the tendency might be to dismiss people who aren’t in your target demographic. I would encourage you to avoid that kind of thinking. Making connections is never bad, and from a five-minute speed-networking interaction, I guarantee you don’t know everything about that person and what they do, and who THEY know. Spend some time getting answers to those questions before you remove them from your networking track. Great things come from unexpected places, and if nothing else, you can use these interactions to help you continue to polish your message and product offerings. 

If you follow all these steps, and create a solid networking process for yourself (and your team, if you have one), you’ll be able to fill the top of your sales funnel much more effectively, and you’ll benefit from greater human connection in a time when we all really need it. And, when things go back to “normal” (whatever that is), you can continue to apply this process to your in-person networking.