Become a Natural Networker in 5 Steps
Last week I caught up with my Illinois-based Nutrition Coach who was in Tampa to watch her son at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships. His talent amazes me, and to think he’s only a Senior in High School competing at this level! I felt privileged to meet up with her and cheer her son on.
Perhaps you’re thinking, “This is an odd opening to an article about becoming a natural networker in five steps…” But that opening was a window to natural networking.
You see, I didn’t have to create the time in my calendar to meet with my Nutrition Coach. I could have let something else become more important. I didn’t have to spend the money to drive downtown, pay for parking, and get lunch. I didn’t have to get involved to understand the men’s events and what the various scores meant for his placement and overall standing. I didn’t have to follow up on Sunday to see how her son did on the final event day. But I did.
And that is the difference when networking becomes natural. It’s intentional.
Most health professionals, and certainly my Nutrition Coach, would say there’s an 80/20 rule for losing weight. 80% should be focused on a balanced and healthy diet, and 20% on physical activity and fitness.
I worked with Jocelyn Reichert through Victory Nutrition because I rocked that 20% as an Orangetheory fan, but would get amnesia about that difficult workout later in the day when I was making meal choices. I needed someone to help me operate in the 80% of winning.
When we flip this around to the career lane, most Career Coaches will agree that the 80/20 rule of the Job Search is 80% networking and 20% applying to positions.
In this case, I have rocked that 80% to the tune of landing 100% of my roles that way. Allow me to illustrate through my career:
As a graduate student, I stayed connected with classmates, and one of those reached out to me because her firm was needing to hire interns for a research project. I was an internal referral candidate and got the job. Networking.
A mutual connection in Denver introduced me to a PM in the Gensler Chicago office. I was an internal referral candidate and got the job. Networking.
In 2009, I was 1 out of 40 in the first big round of recession layoffs at Gensler. A client relationship I maintained referred me to IA Interior Architects who was quietly hiring a Project Architect (even with the recession) and I got the job. Networking.
I was recruited to the last architecture firm I worked with. The Studio Director got my name as a potential candidate based on my active relationship development within the industry and I got the job. Networking.
In a career pivot, I reached out to the best Executive Recruiter who had tried to recruit me and I pitched the idea of working together. I had helped him with referrals when I knew I wasn’t the candidate and when he just wanted my thoughts on who might be open. This showed ‘proof of concept’ ahead of the pitch and I got the job through the hidden job market because of… networking.
So yes. I know a thing or two about getting results through the most effective aspect of the job search.
I understand that networking is difficult for many professionals. But just like I made small habitual changes to improve my diet and nutrition, you can make these five adjustments and start seeing results. Let’s dig in.
No. 1 — Create The Space On Your Calendar
It’s pretty common for any of us to “think” about the change, and then assume we’re “doing” the change because we’re thinking about it. Let’s stop kidding ourselves. Thinking isn’t action. The only way to achieve a networking moment is to create space and time to have it happen. I think it’s disingenuous to individuals to assume everyone can do the same level of networking. Calendar the time according to your personality type to be successful.
Introverts — you need lots of time by yourself to recharge and regain energy. Expect to solidify one networking event per month or per quarter. The frequency depends on how introverted you are and how critical the timeline is to reach your goal through networking.
Ambiverts — you need time by yourself to recharge and regain energy, but you also light up being around people. Fun fact: to Introverts you look like Extroverts and vice versa with the other side. Many people are Ambiverts! Perhaps you’re learning this term for the first time. So if this sounds like you, then know you’re not alone. Expect to solidify two - three networking events per month or per quarter. The frequency depends on whether you lean a little more Introverted or a little more Extroverted.
Extroverts — you need time with people to recharge and regain energy. Sometimes the greatest struggle for Extroverts is targeted and intentional networking because every person and conversation can “feel” like networking. Instead of aiming toward quantity, you need to aim toward quality networking events each month. Frequency has never been a challenge for you, but perhaps thinking more creatively about where you spend your time and with whom will help you reach your relationship goals.
No.2 — Once It’s On the Calendar, Don’t Move It
Anything that is important to us, we’ll do it. This is your most critical step to buckle down and hold strong to keep that appointment. Why? Because as soon as you decide [insert excuse] is more “critical” and give it permission to knock out the previously scheduled networking appointment, you lose any ground in the process of improving your professional networking and have to start back at square one.
Let’s revisit that nutrition analogy. This would be like me tracking my food and eating well during the week, but “letting loose” on the weekends. It absolutely derails any progress toward losing weight.
This is not rocket science. There is no other fancy way to talk to you about this critical step. Don’t “pencil in” the networking event/moment… no, you write it with a permanent marker! Include it in the work and personal calendars so that it truly blocks the time in your life.
As much as you can, pick a time where you are less likely to have a scheduling conflict. You don’t want to cheat yourself by picking a networking event that starts on Thursday evening, and you know you always have a kid’s sporting event to attend.
No. 3 — Attach A Financial Investment To The Meeting
Have you ever heard, “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also?” It essentially means follow the money and you’ll know what someone cares about. Where we spend our money tells a story. We rarely value something that is free. So for this networking event to be something you stick with, you need to attach a financial cost to it.
This doesn’t mean only looking for a fee-based networking event. Most of what you schedule will be free or I certainly hope the colleagues you might catch up with as networking moments don’t charge you a fee to talk to them!
When the event is something you have paid for, that becomes your financial cost. When it’s an event that is “free” to you, here are some ideas to attach a cost.
Set aside a dollar amount that will affect your state of mind if you were to miss the event. For some, if I say $100.00 that will be a high amount, but for others, it’s not enough. Put aside whatever amount you determine is “your number.”
You can simply release the money back to yourself as a reward for keeping the networking appointment. Or you can creatively assign it to a reward that means something to you.
If you need intentional incentives as you go, then think about smaller rewards after each event. Perhaps that looks like buying a new golf accessory you’ve been researching.
If you do better with a yearly goal, then save the money after each networking event and invest in something bigger/better such as a vacation for keeping all of your events in the calendar year.
This might seem extravagant, but if you put this into practice and don’t keep your appointments, your number isn’t high enough. Want a crazy idea? Pick your number and if you don’t keep the appointment, you have to donate the money to the campaign of your opposing political party. I bet you’re keeping those meetings now!
No. 4 — Take Notes After The Meeting To Create Meaningful Follow-up
Some of us are built with amazing memories and others of us can’t remember what we ate for breakfast by lunchtime. On either extreme of that spectrum, you still want to take notes after a networking meeting.
The type of data you need to jot down are the unique things that were shared with you in the networking meeting. I think we can overcomplicate this step by trying to figure out the best method or place to do it. On the fancy side of this, you may have a CRM (customer relationship management) account that you can quickly log into from an app to add some notes. On the more practical side, you can open the “notes” app on your phone or pull up that person’s contact in your phone to add a few thoughts. It’s also as simple as writing a few keywords on the back of the business card that was given to you.
You want to capture the unique things that were shared because follow-up is more powerful when there is meaning behind it. I would say follow-up without impact is better than no follow-up at all. But if you want to become a natural networker, you’ll benefit from making this step a habit.
The secret to capturing the unique things to follow up on is to be a great listener in the networking moment. By listening you could learn that the female CEO you just met is also a mom of two boys who play soccer. When you follow-up, including a simple note of “Hope you have fun at the next Saturday match!” shows you listened.
The meaningful follow-up is what will make you stand out and deepen the impact of the relationship that has been developed. Networking should be looking at the “long game,” which means investing over time for the pay-off of quality relationships.
No.5 — Schedule The Type of Follow-up and Do It.
Networking is nuanced. Your focus at a larger industry event could be to meet a couple of new professionals in a target market/region where your company is looking to expand its reach. Your focus when going to a recruiting event at the nearby Big Ten University could be to put a face to the company name. The follow-up for each of these networking moments is extremely different.
In the former, the two professionals you met with are whom you follow up with. In the latter, the Director of the Career Counseling Department might be your main point of contact to reach back out to. Certainly, you are going to meet many professionals at both events, but the true key to quality networking is paying attention to something taught in sales: fortune is in the follow-up.
Creatively reaching out to the right people after an event is a powerful way to be remembered. Meeting for the first time at a networking event is only the start of a long professional relationship. Decide how and when you will re-engage with your new (or existing) connections and do it.
The best timing for the follow-up will depend on the situation. From the example of a large industry event that ends on a Saturday, a meaningful follow-up will hit best on Tuesday or Wednesday of that week. Mondays are not the best day because it’s heavy with meetings for almost all of us. If your networking event is coffee with a colleague you haven’t seen in six months, the follow-up could be rather immediate as you walk back to the office and through a text message.
The types of follow-up include:
Email
Text
Phone Call
Video message (think Loom and others)
Messenger chat via social media
You might be like me and think all the ways we can be in touch with people are a bit overwhelming. Even if we have a preference for how someone reaches out to us, the most important detail here is to follow up with your networking contact(s) through the method in which they will be the most responsive. You learn this by asking.
Over time, the habits we create become natural. The networking I shared at the beginning of this article was second-nature for me because I’ve been practicing this my entire career. As you pursue these five steps to become a natural networker, remember that anything worth doing takes time to invest in it. Be patient with yourself and you’ll see results. Networking is about building relationships, which should be a lifetime “event.”