Book Brew 148: Dear Clueless Networkers: Stop, Collaborate, and Listen

Don’t show up for class without doing the reading….at least not my class anyway.  If you show up to a 1:1 call asking, “So… what do you do?”, you’ve already flunked.

When you are invited (or get booked) for a 1:1 networking call, do your research before you get on that call.  It not only saves you both unnecessary time of asking the mundane “what do you do?” questions, but it has some other benefits too.  

Skip the Wrong Rooms, So You Can Open the Right Doors

You may discover that they are not your people, and you can self-select yourself out of the interaction - saving you both time and energy that would otherwise be wasted.  

Red Flag Alert: Showing Up Clueless

It also shows to the other person that you not only value your time, but theirs as well.  Not doing your homework before showing up is a big red flag of disrespect.  Don’t fly that flag unless that is the message you intend to give.  

As Carol Ann Lloyd suggests, “Being prepared allows you to be an informed listener” (In other words: don’t wing it and waste my time.)

How to Stalk Like a Pro (Without Getting Blocked)

“Preparation is never wasted, regardless of outcome.” Bill Belichick 

So what do I mean by “research” exactly?  In short, internet-stalk them, but professionally.  

Find them on LinkedIn

• And then actually read their profile.  
• Send them a connection request - nope, it’s not weird….especially if the whole point is to make a networking connection.  Don’t just lurk in the shadows, say hello!
• Make notes for where you have points of connection you can refer to during the call.  

Dig through their website.  

• See what services they offer
• Note what customer base they serve
• Read what they have to say about themselves
• If they have a blog, read some of their posts
• Scan through their social media they have linked on the site 
• Again, make notes of things as you go that you can discuss during your call. 

Read their reviews

• Check out their Google Business, Bing, or Yelp listings and see what others have to say about them
• Look through their Facebook page reviews and their followers to see who their audience is
• And yep, you guessed it, make some notes.  

Notes to make before the call 

• Are there areas where your services overlap or complement that you can partner up as referral partners? 
• Are there areas they are lacking that maybe you could help them with?
• Are there areas YOU are lacking that maybe they could help you with?
• What kinds of things do you have in common?
• What kinds of things do you really disagree on?
• Make a list of questions you have for them that aren’t time wasters
• Create a goal for the call - what do you hope to get out of it?

Don’t Treat People Like ATMs

If you aren’t doing these things before a 1:1, you are wasting everyone’s time. Transaction-based relationships are not my jam (and not the jam of most).  Don’t just come to me when you want something - I’m not an ATM, I’m a person, just like the people you are about to have some unprepared hop-ons with.

“So you think you’re sponge-worthy?” - Elaine Benes

A new contact I made on Alignable, who mentioned it was hard to really connect with others on the platform since everyone is just trying to sell and not actually get to know you.  She said, “Who knew it'd be like the Seinfeld episode where Elaine was questioning if they were "sponge-worthy".  So the question becomes…are you making yourself networking-sponge-worthy for your calls??

Hints To Connect With Me

“Many frustrations are the result of unspoken expectations.  Before you get too annoyed, make sure you are clearly expressing your thoughts.” James Clear

Since this has been a point of frustration for me, I am (hopefully) clearly expressing my thoughts on what I expect from networking.

I’m more than happy to meet new people, but you'd better not waste my time by failing to do your homework.  And especially don’t waste my time by using the call to sell to me…that’s not what these calls are for.  

Getting to know the person as a person (trust me, I have plenty of info out there on our FAQ page, on LinkedIn, on Typeshare, on FB, etc. that there is no reason you can’t find a nugget of something on me) and treating them with kindness and respect will land you far more organic sales than being a used car salesman, Oscar (the story of Oscar will have to wait for another post, as this one is already too long, but you can always message me and ask me about it….see that little thread I just dangled??? Feel free to tug on it by asking me about Oscar. (You’ll want popcorn.)).

TL;DR

Get to know me as a person before you force your way into my inbox.

Ponder This

1. What message are you sending by not doing your homework before a 1:1?
2. Would you want to have a second call with someone like you?
3. What does “sponge-worthy” mean in your version of professional networking?

Books/Newsletters

• How to Build Relationships Through Conversations - Carol Ann Lloyd
• 3-2-1 - James Clear