The Power of Notworking.

Hi, I'm Dan. I'm in marketing. What do you do? Why are you walking away?

Networking can be so boring. Terrifying, but boring. And ineffective. 

How many business cards do you come away with, promising yourself you're going to plug those into your contacts as soon as you get back and pop all of them a quick note - only to look for the 12th time at that stack sitting on your desk a month later?

Just me then? Let's be honest, networking can be so powerful, but not the way a lot of us are used to.

Here's your aim: give away as many business cards as you can. And how many of those will ever see the light of day again, let alone be linked with the memory of who handed it out...and you expect them to call you?

That's what we like to call notworking.

Here's a little vicarious anecdote (forgive me if it's not quoted entirely accurately) which I've always remembered since first reading the highly recommended '...and death came third!' (a fantastic book on networking and public speaking: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Death-Came-Third-Definitive-Networking/dp/1907722300)...

After the session, guests were asked to name just a few other guests who stood out, who they remembered and who they will likely follow up with. There was one guest who got named time and again. But nobody knew much about them bar their name, what they did and the fact their business card would be one for the first follow up calls.

What did this guru of networking do? Asked questions. Asked some more questions. Didn't say much about themselves. Focused on the person in front of them. Kept an ear out for any challenges mentioned that could be addressed either directly by said guru or by someone else in said guru's network.

In general, people like to be liked. We like to think that others may be interested in what we have to say, so when someone does, when they continue to ask for more information, it endears us to them. Ok, maybe not all of us, but the theory is there.

So rip up your networking rulebook (and please dispose of responsibly. Won't somebody think of the trees?)

Say no to notworking.

Forget talking about what you do or what their job is. Talk to them as if you've no agenda. It's networking, but not for business. You're just interested in how they got here, if they saw that crazy thing on Channel 4 last night - be a person, not a service provider.

Things that will get you remembered (within reason!) will all help when it comes to them sorting through the cards, remembering that one was you and then picking up the phone.

You may not speak to as many people, but the return on investment will be well worth it. Plus, it makes networking a lot less stressful and a lot more enjoyable, which will in turn come through and assist your future efforts.

Be brave, try being different and networking for now, not the future.

We'd usually finish with something along the lines of 'get in touch if you need help with this', but we're not personal coaches, so we'll just leave you to mull this one over and wish you all the best, try it out, we'd love to know how you get on.

But then, if you are in the market for a coach, we do know someone who will be able to help, so go on then, get in touch via [email protected].

Read all of Jack's Tips online here: https://JackStoneMarketing.com/tips.

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Remember, you can always shout #iminaflapjack on Twitter and we'll see what we can do.