If networking is a part of your business life, watch this video and read the summary down below.
I believe that at least 7 out of 8 of the following networking tips will make up the core of everyone’s future hobnobbing strategy:
Marie Forleo’s 8 Tips to Network Without Being a Phoney:
1. Focus on giving vs. getting: You’ve got to put yourself in the other person’s shoes. They’re probably inherently selfish like so many of us are and want to get something rather than give it. Go against the grain and find a way to be the giver. People are grateful when they receive and karma can pay you bigger returns than that which you invested. Simple things like tips related to your industry like special upcoming events that nobody knows about yet, legal changes that may affect them, or whatever.
2. Be present: Don’t be the douchebag who only has eyes on the biggest pockets, most influential leaders, or most attractive people in the room. This tip, like the next one, is a marketing skill that so few people in business or life have fully mastered. When you lock eyes with people and give them your full attention, they’ll invariably respect you for that and open up more.
3. Listen more than you talk: Such a classic “We have two ears and one mouth, so we can listen twice as much as we speak.” Write this one down folks, it’s something that few of you have likely really mastered!
4. Think long term vs. short term: Don’t rush into talking business or try to force the relationship. Put the agenda aside. We’re not cavemen; you can’t knock your wife/competition over the head and drag them off somewhere to get what you want from them.
5. Don’t over commit or feel guilty: You can’t be everyone’s BFF. If you don’t have time or can’t be helpful, let them know. Don’t let yourself feel guilt over your lack of personalize attention to someone, or that you couldn’t meet everyone at the event, or that you’ve fallen out of touch with someone you really hit it off with at XYZ event. Guilt will build and possibly keep you from going to future events.
6. Be honest: Say “NO” when you know you’re not going to follow through. Agreeing to coffee, dinner, or worse — to do something of importance for someone — is the epitome of the fakeity-fakes of the world. Your reputation as a bs-er will get around sooner or later. And he’re the big one with broken promises: the victim of those falsehoods might be someone who you need something from in the future and I don’t know about you, but I’d rather do a favor for someone who’s honest over someone who says yes to everything then I never see them again until they want something from me! Agreed?
7. Take action immediately: Pretty simple here. Think how many times procrastination gets in the way of a good business relationship. Like Marie said, whip out your smartphone and send the person an intro email or text immediately, schedule an agreed-upon meeting into your planner, call your sales team and have them get to booking an appointment with the leads you generate, etc.
8. Only go to things that excite you: We can’t all get around going to things that don’t excite us. I’m not sure how far this tip can take any of us really. I mean, if your wife or husband’s a plastic surgeon and your an accountant, you still have to go to the office Christmas party with them, right? Even if the accounting crowd doesn’t float your boat, there still could be gold in them there hills!
