etworking is a pain in the butt. Personally, I hate it. If I’m at an event, I usually find someone non-business related to talk to and then I spend the whole evening making a new BFF in the corner and not getting on the radar of the people I really should be connecting with. I’m just not good at it. I love meeting new people, I’m just terrible at having contrived conversations about business but over the years I’ve developed a few habits that help me network like a ninja… here’s how you can do it too!
Start before you need it
One of my pet hates as an online entrepreneur is when people cold email me out of the blue and ask me to help them promote something. If I receive an email that doesn’t contain my name and comes from someone I’ve never heard of, it’s highly unlikely I’m going to respond favourably, if at all. I recently received an excellent pitch from an illustrator who wanted to do a portrait of me and hopefully have me share her work on my social media profiles. Her pitch was excellent, it wasn’t the first time she’d contacted me (she’d commented on a few of my Instagram photos and my Facebook page), her email was personal and direct and she even self referentially acknowledged the fact that she was a bit cheeky in emailing to ask for a favour. I was totally won over, I said yes, she did the portrait, I love it and I’ve shared it multiple times on my networks. This is an excellent example of effective networking. She got on my radar first, she offered me something of value and her pitch was precise and friendly. Win.
Be generous
You need to be reciprocal with your time. If you’re going around asking for mentoring advice from professionals that are higher up the food chain than you are, you need to make sure that you’re passing that forward to other professionals who might need your help. Don’t let the chain of help stop with you.
Never underestimate anyone
If someone asks you (directly, politely and through the correct avenues) for help you don’t always have to help but it’s important to be polite. For example I asked a PR I met a few years ago to help me get sponsorship for a conference and although it didn’t work out she took the time to try to get the sponsorship across the line, was very supportive and encouraging and we stayed in touch. A few years later that same person asked me sign onto her blogging agency and I didn’t hesitate. We’ve since worked very happily and profitably together for years as a result of being very nice to each other back when we weren’t of much use to each other.
Pay attention and pre-plan
You need to be pretty switched on in the professional world or you’ll get left behind. You know that scene in the Devil Wears Prada when Andi has to learn and remember all the names for Miranda at the party? Yep. Do that. It seems extreme but if you remember someone’s name, they will remember yours forever.
Follow up
If you had an amazing conversation with someone at an event, make sure you grab their email address and follow up. I also make a point to tell people about something cool, so I have a good reason to follow up with them next day. My mate Sonia pulled this off beautiful when Kirsty Clements came to Adelaide for an event. She told her about an amazing place to each lunch the next day, emailed her to follow up and Kirsty invited her to join her for lunch. Major win.
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How are you at networking? Do you need more practice? Or do you have it down pat?
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