What are the most significant secrets of successful networking?

This newsletter edition will be a tough cookie, so buckle up!

I am an extreme extrovert in real life but an introvert in the digital world. So it was tough for me to start contacting people I did not know in person on LinkedIn. The first meeting was a real pain, but after the 5th one, it became a tool.

I want to share my experiences with this beneficial tool. Today I am having meetings every day, and I am running all of those completely detached from the outcome. The primary mindset for such a meeting is "zero expectations". I don't expect a client will buy something from me (for a job seeker to provide you with a job). Your mantra should be according to Josh Braun:

“I’m going to reach out to people. Some will be open to having a conversation with me. Some won’t. It’s okay either way. I’m not for everyone.”

If you talk to people without trying to sell something or ask for a job, you will establish a human connection first and build trust. Business or job opportunities will develop by themselves if you do networking activities regularly.

Let's look at the Definitions first.

Networking is meant to establish a contact, build a relationship and create the necessary trust to turn it into cooperation. Cooperation is the best means of increasing one's entrepreneurial and career opportunities.

To build your network, you must act consistently. Whom you keep in touch with and how often determines your success rate. The development and maintenance should be like taking care of a garden.

A contact becomes a relationship by going through an extraordinary situation together or building trust?slowly?and?regularly.

A?contact?is somebody you meet and may limit itself to the mere exchange of business cards. Contact is like a plant with young roots — if you put pressure on it, it will topple over or pull away from the soil and die.

A?relationship?is a mutual, consolidated interaction of trust where both parties agree to support, help, and cooperate. A relationship is almost always a private act that extends professionally and not the inverse as it is established without benefiting the optimal goal.

Rule number one

Networking?should?not?be about?you, but it should be about the other person. What we do so every single day on LinkedIn is the following scenario:

A new contact approaches you and the second message is already about selling something or asking for a job! How annoying is that? The only way to be successful with your networking efforts is not to do networking in a purpose-driven way!

In the last article, we have stopped the moment when your new contact is accepting your connection request. Let's look into the following steps:

My best guidance for bringing the contact to real life:

After your new connection has scheduled a short introductory call with you, we need to prepare for the call or face to face meeting. Again go through the LinkedIn profile of your new connection and take notes about all your commonalities.

Starting the meeting

When we open the meeting, it's essential to hand over the control of the meeting to the other person by saying something like: "Nice to see you, XY, thank you very much for making it possible. We have scheduled a 15 minutes introductory meeting today. Does this still work with you?"

With this sentence, you allow your partner to say "NO", just in case something urgent lands on their desk. It is better to reschedule than to talk under time pressure.

Short introduction

The next step is a concise introduction of yourself, not longer than 30 seconds. In most cases, your counterpart does the same. I am asking questions that I have prepared in advance from this point onwards. This meeting is nothing else than a "sales call". You are "selling" yourself to the other person!

Asking smart questions:

So what does an intelligent "salesperson" do in such a call? It is not about praising themselves or the quality of their product but asking calibrated questions to figure out if the potential client needs the product! (Product could be your skills if you need a job or your services if you are a consultant.)

In this meeting, you should be talking?20?% of the time (mainly asking questions) and actively listening?80?% of the time.

The S P I N methodology

I am using the?SPIN?methodology for my question catalogue.

S- Situation questions aim to understand the current situation.

P?- Problem questions get to the heart of the problem.

I?- Implication questions probe to think about the consequences of not solving the problem.

N?- Need-payoff questions prompt to consider how the situation would change if their problem were solved.

In some cases, at the end of the meeting, the other person may ask you, if you need a job. If yes, admit it, without sounding desperate. If not, say thank you and close the meeting. You have probably left a great impression on the other person. You did not push anything. I the person knows somebody, who could need your skills, the person may send them your LinkedIn profile. And this is really happening, more than you think.

Follow up/polite persistence

Around 6 weeks after the meeting, I regularly follow up by again saying "thank you" for the great meeting and keeping the discussion alive without pushing.

For more details about SPIN, please refer to this post by Nitin Dobriyal:

https://www.dhirubhai.net/posts/nitin-dobriyal_learning-sales-change-activity-6920395697489899520-d8OA?utm_source=linkedin_share&utm_medium=member_desktop_web

Let's smash some popular myths:

1. Networking is just Schmoozing

• Good networking is definitively not about schmoozing someone but meeting your partner on the same level.

2. The longer I talk, the better

• Nothing is worse than blatant self-promotion and talking too much about ourselves; we will quickly look egoistic and arrogant.

3. No preparation is needed; I will figure it out on the go

• Thorough preparation is vital; networking is not a jam session; you need to be prepared very well to ask the right questions.

4. My connection will find me a job/buy something from me.

• In most cases is not your first-level connection who will open the doors to new opportunities. But if you leave a good impression, the people tend to pass your profile to others who may be interested in your skills. Of course, a small minority of people are doing this, but this minority is of utmost importance.

Literature

If you would like to take a deep dive into the topic, please read:

"The 20 minutes Networking meeting" by Nathan A. Perez /

https://media-exp1.licdn.com/dms/image/C4E2DAQERJw7UDHrQgw/profile-treasury-image-shrink_800_800/0/1601612133657?e=2147483647&v=beta&t=LdZ5xIengx-vTNsQEjf6ujMXc0FXtJ7NoK8X8g3zEqY

And for those very introverted people, a must to read is:

"Networking for People Who Hate Networking: A Field Guide for Introverts, the Overwhelmed, and the Underconnected" by Devora Zack.

https://www.dhirubhai.net/posts/devora-zack-b002455_networking-tips-for-people-who-hate-networking-activity-6539208622025564160-BfvB?utm_source=linkedin_share&utm_medium=member_desktop_web

Very happy to be connected both to Nathan and Devora on LinkedIn!

Did I motivate you to network? What was your best networking experience?

#linkedin #career #networking #business