When I first started my business, I knew it was going to require a lot of networking. I didn’t really know what that was going to entail, so I just started Googling “Networking Events”.
This resulted in my attendance at hundreds of events where I found myself walking around aimlessly with thousands of people, name tags affixed to our chests, drinks in hand, like confused, slow motion, bumper cars.
I kept telling myself that I was doing a lot of networking, but I honestly didn’t know what that meant. How was being in a room full of half-interested people doing anything to generate business? Every single person in the room, including myself, was there for self-serving reasons.
What made this networking? What made this relevant?
I couldn’t come up with good answers – for good reasons.
Too many of us fool ourselves into thinking that being in any place at any time will eventually lead to being in the right place at the right time. That’s absurd.
Networking is Netbroken.
The word networking has acquired an almost inauthentic feel. It’s slimy and sleazy.
So, stop thinking of it as networking. Start thinking of it as making friends. Start thinking of it as building a community. Start thinking of it as keeping in touch.
Before you walk into a room, think about whom you want to meet in that room.
Actually, before you even leave the house, think about whom you want to meet in the world. What kind of people are you looking to be around? If you were to imagine the kind of day you might have when you are wildly successful, what would it look like?
Would it involve meandering aimlessly around a bar shouting into the ears of strangers for 20 minutes at a time trying to figure out if you can squeeze a dollar out of them?
Probably not.
What kind of network do you currently have? If the answer to that question depresses you, change that by meeting good people. People you meet one-on-one are more likely to remember you. You are less likely to stand out when you float around in a sea of faces.
Be specific. Ask for introductions from the good people you already know. Get better at listening and asking questions. People are interested in people who are interested in them.
When you are first starting out in business, everyone is quick to tell you that you need to network. They tell you the benefit of a good handshake and eye contact. They tell you what your business card should look like and the best ways to follow up.
But that’s it. Very few people help paint the broader picture.
It’s like teaching somebody how to run, throw, and catch a baseball and expecting him or her to fully understand the rules of the game.
I doubt the term networking is going away, just as I doubt the amount of networking events in the future will decrease.
But what can change, what can always change, is how you present yourself, how you approach things, and your understanding of what you want out of the business and entrepreneurial experience.
Because as Penelope Cruz says to Tom Cruise in Vanilla Sky: Every passing minute is another chance to turn it all around.