Networking makes a lot of people feel dirty and arrogant. That’s because most people network like they are dirty and arrogant.
Which isn’t to say you actually are dirty and arrogant, but rather that your technique could use some polishing. Or maybe you really are dirty and arrogant. In which case using great marketing techniques won’t really work because then you’ll just look like a dirty arrogant person who has tricks up his sleeve, thereby making you dirty, arrogant and devious.
See, old-school networking (the kind we’re used to) is all about “me.” You know what I mean because you’ve been there. Might have been at a high-school reunion, or after a business meeting with colleagues or after some big-time finance seminar. Some dude with a nice suit and disgustingly perfect hairdo came up to you and let you know all about how awesome he was:
“I’m a marketer for a multi-national company. I win awards for the work I do. I’ve been thinking of moving on and starting my third billion-dollar company, but frankly my firm couldn’t get along without me. Oh…and I can eat an entire poppy seed muffin and not a single seed gets stuck in my teeth. That’s how slick and awesome I am.”
Or the used-car salesman attitude: “I’m the best salesman in the area. I got a plaque last year. Yeah, and check out my tie. I won it. It was made from the skin of a rare bird that is now extinct. Thirteen children died while stitching this tie together, but, you know, it’s cool because I get it dry-cleaned.”
This isn’t networking. This is acting like a human resume and hoping for the best.
Networking, by definition, means expanding and growing your empire into new areas through the means of new people.
If people want nothing to do with you, mmm, your network hasn’t grown. Nope.
So what is the trick of networking?
The whole secret of networking comes down to a single three-letter word:
You.
Meaning the opposite of “me.”
Networking, much like marketing, is best done when you’re showing the other guy what’s in it for him. The line into poor networking is crossed when the focus shifts to the person standing in your shoes. And unless they’ve been stolen or you’re awfully confused, the person standing in your shoes is you.
Don’t talk about yourself. Talk about them, at least indirectly.
It’s not always the easiest thing to do. When someone asks you what you do for a living, it’s pretty hard to NOT talk about yourself. The secret is to go right on ahead talking about yourself or your company or your product, but do it in such a way that you’re talking benefits and not just tooting your own horn.
Examples of effective networking
People aren’t always going to ask you what you do, but you may find yourself drifting into answering it anyway and doing a lousy job of it. Having a good answer for the question is a great way to cover your bases and come up with a suitable elevator-pitch.
How to answer the “What do you do” question.
Wrong: “I work at a consulting firm.” Wow. How interesting.
Right: “I consult people who aren’t quite sure what they want to do in life.” Instant rapport with anyone who isn’t quite sure what they want to do in life.
Wrong: “I’m in marketing.” Sorry…I just went into a coma. What did you say?
Right: “I’m in marketing and show individuals how to get more clients, regardless of the type of business they’re in.” More clients = more money = universal interest.
Wrong: “I’m in HR.” Sounds awful. You tell me you’re in HR and I immediately think you’re the person who fires every person in the universe.
Right: “I place creative individuals into high-paying creative jobs that fit their style.” Hey, I’m creative. Tell me more!
Get it?
Two birds, one stone
There are numerous benefits to networking and marketing like this:
- You cease to look like a total prick. Which is good news, especially for total pricks.
- People love to hear about themselves and they love to hear what’s in it for them. So you’ll have rapt attention when you say stuff.
- It is an automatic weeding-out process. If you tell a lumberjack that you’re in creative hiring, like our example above, he’s not going to be too interested and the conversation will rightfully suffer a quick death. But if you tell a graphic designer the same thing, they get interested and now become a targeted customer. Give them a business card or brochure and you’re that much closer to earning new business. This would never have happened if you just said, “I’m in HR.” Yawn.
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4 comments
You know, I go to these business networking meetings every single Thursday night. Every week. And nothing has ever ever come out of it good for me. I was about to drop going to them altogether, but I think I see what I’ve been doing wrong.
I’m a consultant. And I say to everyone, “I’m a consultant.” And they look at me. And then they stop looking at me and leave. I need to rework my whole strategy.
Not to sound mean, but thanks for helping me realize I just wasted dozens of otherwise perfect evenings.
Hey you. I’ve got a couple consultant friends, and I can tell you exactly why “I’m a consultant” is not the greatest elevator-pitch.
One of them does regular ordinary business consulting stuff: sales, marketing, that sort of thing. The other guy, I’ll call him Matt because that’s his name, is also a consultant. But get this:
Matt places insanely freakishly smart skilled people at jobs in nuclear engineering facilities. There are at any one time, he told me, maybe a dozen people on the entire planet who are skilled enough/available to be placed in these positions.
So, yeah, “consultant” doesn’t really mean anything. Actually, wait. It does mean something, but unfortunately it means whatever the person you’re talking to thinks it means.
Think yourself up an elevator-pitch an come back later and tell us what you came up with!
I put this on top of my header: “I teach people how to use their websites to attract new customers, educate the customers that they have, and drive more business. ”
Then people ask, “How do you do that?” and this gives me an opportunity to ask them, “What kind of business do you have? Let’s see what kind of opportunities there may be for you to take advantage of…”
Works.
Hey this is a really good post. Made me laugh! But I wanted to tell you, your Tweetmeme button doesn’t seem to be co-operating. At least not with me. I tried it from full post view or from excerpt view. I can’t Tweet with the button, it ignores me.
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