How to Network
August 3, 2009
I don’t mean hooking computers together my friends. I mean hooking people together. Figuratively speaking of course. No CAT-5 or handcuffs required.
4 Tips to Help You Become Better at Networking
- Be interested. Don’t be interesting. I know this advice abounds, but I still meet people that talk all about themselves. I do it too occassionally. (Usually it’s halfway through my glass of Jameson’s at Startup Happy Hour). The most interesting person that you can be, is the person that listens to the other person talk about themselves. The tangential advantage of this is that you’ll know more interesting things about other people. I promise you that if you let someone talk long enough, they will probably say something interesting or useful.
- After you’ve listened to someone talk about themselves for a while and they give you their business card, immediately excuse yourself to the bathroom or other private place and write down something memorable about them. Write it right there on their card. I know that Tim Augustine of Atwell-Hicks likes single malt scotch. McClelland’s 12 if it’s available. I know that because I wrote it down on his business card when I met him at a conference in February. That’s pretty poweful information the next time I see him at an event. I can walk right up to him with a glass of scotch in hand, and even if he doesn’t remember or care who I am…. he’ll listen to me for 5 minutes because I know what he drinks. Knowing one personal thing about a person is the difference between getting 5 minutes with someone (and getting a job, funding, board member, whatever) and getting the “Oh, nice to meet you [while I look around the room for someone more important to talk to].”
- Go to networking events that are outside your primary area of expertise and interest. Sure, I love startups. But I’ll also go to a networking event for accountants, vetrinarians, members of ARMA, whoever, whatever. What you need to realize is that other people are just like you. For my day job, I work for a corporate telecom company. Most of the people that I work with have no idea that startup companies are what my primary interest is. That’s probably the same way with accountants, vets, and people that keep records. Maybe that accountant has a great idea for some web-based accounting software, but they don’t know a programmer. Or maybe they do know a programmer and they just don’t know someone who has marketing chops, or knows the angel/VC networks. You will surprise yourself if you’ll just step out of your comfort zone a little bit.
- Always remember to make yourself a purple cow. Find a way to make something about you stand out to those that meet you. One of the best and easiest ways is to have a great business card. Don’t hand me a card that looks like every other card that I’ve seen in my life. Find some way to make it unique. If you can’t think of a way, then hire a great designer to help you. Here’s just one example of an unusual, purple cow of a business card. There are probably a million other ways to make yourself a purple cow, and this is just one example. Obviously, the best way is to do something that no one has thought of (or blogged about) yet.
