In a normal week I meet with three to five new people all interested in expanding their personal networks. Most are in job transition trying to uncover the “hidden job market” while many others are prospecting for new business. A few people really understand the networking process, which makes our meetings enjoyable with anticipation of our future. Most treat these meetings as one night stands without focus or purpose. My hope is that more people will follow these guidelines to improve the quality of their networking by building long term relationships.
Rule 1 – Quality is more important than quantity.
Rule 2 – Do what you say.
Rule 3 – Be interested, not interesting. Invest your time learning about the other person rather than telling them about you. Do you know what hobbies your closest contacts have? Can you describe the career path they have followed? Do you know the names of their spouse and kids or even know if they have a spouse or kids? The more you know about your advocates the more they will know about you.
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