What The Best Networkers Do (by Martin Buckland) October 2, 2013 by Jason Alba I saw this post on Facebook and asked Martin if I could repost here (he said yes): Let’s break this down: The best networkersMoment of truth here… are you a “best” networker? I’m not talking about being an extrovert, or a name/number collector… are you really interesting in being a “best” networker? Read on… are listeners rather than talkers, Yes, we’ve heard we have two ears and one mouth for a reason. Probably because one ear and two mouths would be weird, but really, the message here is to make it NOT about you. Listen for hints, stories, and things you can dig down on to learn more about THEM. Listen so you can know what you might say that can have the most/best impact. have a clear agenda, My agenda was to GET A FREAKING JOB! But that was a bad immediate agenda. Know (1) why you are talking people, know (2) what you should talk about, know (3) what you want the outcome and (4) next steps to be. If you don’t have an agenda it will be clear to people, they won’t know how to help you, and perhaps they’ll think you are wasting their time. Have a PURPOSE! and are not shy about asking for feedback and guidance. It is critical that you ASK. Asking is hard, I know, but you need to let people know how they can help you. Asking them for something specific will allow them to help you better. They need clarity on what you need. The hardest part of this is knowing what you want. The second hardest part is actually asking for the help. Remember that networking is more about giving than it is about talking. Yes, it is about giving… but don’t forget to get, and ask for things. Then, because you have been listening, maybe you’ll know how or what to GIVE. And if you don’t, then ask (in a way that is not cliche). I love this (thank you Martin). Are you working on being a “best” networker?
1 thought on “What The Best Networkers Do (by Martin Buckland)”
Comments are closed.