One of the most important skills any aspiring CEO must have is the ability to network. Networking means building a structure of people, at various degrees removed from you, that you can count on or come to professionally. Developing these contacts is important, because oftentimes jobs and opportunities are only really open to people on the inside — by the time that job listing is posted on Monster, there’s a good chance it has already been filled by someone’s niece or friend of a friend. And that is the other important reason to network; every contact has his own contacts. If your contact likes you enough, even if they can’t help you, they might pass you along to someone who can. So here are some tips about how to develop and maintain this web of contacts.
LinkedIn - The Leading Networking Tool
1) Carry a Card. Nothing looks as unprofessional when making a contact as fumbling around in your bag for a scrap of paper to write your contact information on (or to write someone else’s). Not only does it make you look stupid and unprepared, but that little scrap of paper is going to get lost. There are many high-quality, low-cost options around (vitaprint.com, for one). Invest in an attractive, professional card. This means no unicorns and rainbows. Obviously in some fields your card can be more artistic than in others. Use your judgment.
2) Be Interesting. Often people make the mistake of networking with a one-track mind. They think to themselves “I need a job; I better sell myself” and they proceed to do so. In the process, they bore the socks off of the person they are talking to, with the added bonus of making that person feel hounded. Just be interesting. Talking to a person you meet at a professional event or any place with potential contacts, should be much like talking to someone at a tasteful cocktail party — without the sex, drugs, religion, or politics part. A person is much more likely to remember and want to help out a charming, intelligent person they conversed pleasantly with for half an hour than a person who recited their resume at them.
3) Be in touch. Don’t wait until you need something to contact your contact — not only might they have forgotten you already, but it’s tacky. How, you might ask, does one stay in contact with someone they have only briefly met? There are two basic ways, and they both involve email. Always, always email people. It is the most convenient, fastest, and least intrusive way to be in touch with a person. While a written thank you card can be a nice touch, don’t forget to send an email — the email will probably be stored forever, and the person is more likely to respond immediately So, the first way to be in contact is obvious: the holidays. A brief note on Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s or the Fourth of July wishing the person or note and their family and happy holiday season is always appreciated. But what if you want to remind your contact about your existence and there is no holiday looming? Find a product, article, or movie about something that you know the person likes, and send them a link with the note “Saw this and thought you might enjoy”. Your contact will be pleased that you remembered that he loves fly-fishing and that you took the time to let him know about this fun story in the Times about it.
4) Be Thoughtful. In the end, everyone likes to be liked. A way to make a person feel liked is to remember things about them. And please, don’t trust your memory. Write down in your contact book, Google calendar, rolodex, whatever, things that you have learned about a potential contact. This way, before you ask them for something, you can ask “And how is Janey doing at Colgate”? It helps.
Any successful entrepreneur has learned how to network. It is a skill that every aspiring business tycoon needs to develop. Good luck!
The CEO Game.
October 24th, 2009 at 1:44 pm
Thanks for posting the article, was certainly a great read!