Networking doesn’t mean you have to put on a costume and act differently then who you really are. It’s funny to think that one day a year, you’re able to walk to random people houses, knock on their door, and yell the words
“Trick or treat!?!?!?”
What’s funnier is that the reason why you received candy is that it’s said that if someone doesn’t give you a treat, you’re allowed to play a trick and cause mischief to that person!
Even more humorous is that you’re going to networking events. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but networking is equivalent to having an e-mail address that ends in AOL.com. It technically still works, but your time is valuable, so you need to use it wisely.
If you’ve attended a networking event recently,you were probably asked the following questions:
“What do you do?”
“Who are you with?”
“Where are you from?”
While these questions are as common as the air you’re breathing, these are not the kind of questions you should be asking during a networking event. These closed ended questions will not differentiate yourself from your competition.
Remember these quotes:
“We are human beings, not human doings”
“People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.”
So, the next time you’re thinking about going to a networking event, keep a few things in mind.
Be Yourself:
If you’re being genuine, you will attract the right people to help you improve throughout your life. Putting on a performance will attract the wrong people and cause you to have false-positive results.
Get Involved with Activities You’re Passionate About:
Love Video Games? Attend a gaming convention. Love Cooking? Take a cooking class.
Love running? Join a running club.
The more connections that you have with people, the easier it will be for you to form a relationship. By attending something that you’re passionate about, you will meet other like-minded individuals, and allow you to ask more open-ended questions such as the following:
“Why did you decided to come to this event?”
“Tell me how did you became interested in _________?
Simple, yet effective.
Prepare a Unique Story:
You know that you have at least one trick up your sleeve that you can pull out at any time to impress anyone. Meeting people is no different, you want to be able to have someone think to themselves,
“Wow, you’re unique.”
When you run into someone when you’re out and they ask you questions that were mentioned earlier, don’t fall into the trap of providing a common answer.
“I help people…”
“I’m in sales…”
“I work at…”
BORRRRRINGGGGGGG!
Remember, the next time someone asks “What do you do?”, consider that question to be identical to them asking:
“Who are you?”
Having trouble coming up with an answer? Tell a story, be genuine, and never be afraid to be yourself. Watch the video below of Simon Sinek.
Happy Slacking,
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