Sometimes I really hate networking.
Not necessarily because I tend to be awkward at times, but rather because 98% of the time I find myself stuck talking to someone who is not good at networking.
Really, really awful.
I’m talking about a situation where you would philippines whatsapp number data rather be stuck in traffic for five hours.
But why?
Shouldn’t networking be a little more natural for us?
After all, networking is all about talking to like-minded people.
But for many of us, networking can still seem daunting, even a little pointless.
It shouldn’t be – networking is supposed to be a value-added and, dare I say, fun activity.
If this doesn’t sound rewarding or fun to you, fear not! You’ve come to the right place.
But let’s go back a moment…
If you only take one thing away from this post, I want it to diving deeper into the latest wordpress be this: change your mindset about networking.
Stop thinking of it as a means to an end. A self-promotion contest.
Because guess what? It’s not. At least, it shouldn’t be.
I’ve received job offers, built meaningful professional relationships, and closed deals for clients through networking – all without whispering in anyone’s ear about why they should hire me, help me, or pay me.
The best thing you can do to improve your networking game is to approach networking as an opportunity to make new friends, not to close deals.
People can sense sales energy from a mile away. Whether you’re trying to promote yourself or sell a product, people can sense it. And it’s not fun for them — or for you, for that matter.
The last thing someone wants when anhui mobile phone number list they ask, “So what do you do?” is to get a fifteen-minute speech about how great your work or product is.
Nobody. Cares.
A similar situation happened to me recently. I was at a conference during a break between sessions, and someone joined my table and we started chatting.
The conversation was going well – until I asked him a simple question: “What does your company do?”
This is where things went downhill, as I was held hostage in a one-sided conversation where he spent a good 20 minutes telling me every detail about his company, what their product does, and why I should care.
I didn’t say a single word during those 20 minutes.
How can anyone think that such behavior is acceptable in any situation?
Along the same lines, no one wants to receive a LinkedIn message from someone asking you for a favor, when you haven’t bothered to contact them in two years to ask how they’re doing.
