Build a better business network with this one technique
Do you work hard?
Yeah, bet. Me, too.
Do you work alone?
Nah. No you don’t.
Were you tempted to say yes? Maybe you’re a solopreneur or maybe you’re a remote worker. I get that. Many of us feel we work “alone” or are out here doing all the work by ourselves.
20% of women in the workplace are commonly the only person of their gender in the room, according to McKinsey.
43% of people don't feel connected with their colleagues, according to BetterUp.
And - still - no one does “it” alone. None of us gets anywhere without a network - a group of people and resources that we can easily tap into for good and varied reasons like:
job opportunities
higher sales and more money
access to social circles
visibility & validation
friendship & connections
We all need people. as humans, we are social beings and we need each other. ♥ But here’s something important to know:
how we build our network is just as important as whom we include in it.
your networking abilities are absolutely critical to yOur success. Ya need to know how to connect with people. Why?
Your next career jump will likely come from networking. Some hiring managers estimate that about 70% of all jobs are not published publicly on jobs sites and as much as 80% of jobs are filled through personal and professional connections.
Your business growth depends on it. 70% of businesses in 2022 acquired new leads using trade shows as a business networking strategy. (DisplayWizard)
Now, I didn’t say doing it well wouldn’t be challenging. It’s easy to get caught up in the nerves and excitement of “selling” ourselves to others. We eagerly want the many benefits that come from networking. So, here’s one tip on how to network better:
maximize your networking opportunities by asking 3 smart questions of anyone you meet.
Here’s how that helps you network better:
The average “Hello my name is...what’s yours?” exchange takes about 10 seconds. By asking just one smart question to start, we can open up a conversation with anyone, anytime for as long as we’d like to. We get to control the clock!
Here’s a few smart questions I’ve used that really work well:
If you could connect with someone today to help you crush a goal, who would it be?
What are you most looking forward to doing after this?
What was the funniest, most interesting or most insane thing you heard today?
Where do you think is the best place in this room to stand?
All of these questions work to help you network better because they are open-ended and the answers to them will tell you a lot about the person if you’re listening right. Listening, by the way, is the introvert’s hack to networking better: the more you let others talk, the smarter and more open they feel in sharing what you need to know about them in order to respond with impact. Let’s be real: having to always feel the pressure of spitting out the perfect “60-second elevator speech” for everyone we meet is challenging enough!
This strategy of asking questions, listening to learn and then following up is all part of my “Ask Now, Get Later” strategy - a specific way of cutting through the awkwardness and clutter of networking so you can build profitable relationships.
Try it for yourself and see how many more awesome and worthy connections you can make.
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