Elevare Gazette: Thursday Issue 🔔

^{Today's Focus: “Networking”}

One aspect of my life that I consciously think a lot about is networking. Let me get this out of the way—I despise the word networking in this context. Networking by definition is “the action or process of interacting with others to exchange information and develop professional or social contacts.”

You can see why I don’t like the word. When we attend networking events, we don’t build relationships with everyone—we meet a lot of people and perhaps add them to our LinkedIn or exchange business cards (if that’s even a thing now).

However, when you take one or two “contacts” from this “networking” event home with you and continue having meaningful conversations, you’re not networking—you’re building a relationship.

I like to call it “Building relationships” than “Networking.”

Why did I spend the first couple of lines explaining a definition that I have a different opinion about?

Because that is the number one mistake most people make. You cannot meet someone once and ask them to refer you to a job or an opportunity.

^{Here are my two cents on how to build relationships:}

1. Be Genuine

Sometimes we meet people and don’t have anything in common with them to bond over. That’s okay. Try to build a relationship based on their interests. For example, I love marketing and analytics. I try to find people in events that can talk about that. If they don’t fall under that bucket, I immediately switch to asking questions about their interests. Being open to learning new things helps here. Don’t always look for a win-win situation; sometimes you have to see the long picture.

2. Remember Details

I shamelessly write stuff down after meeting people. A lot of people love talking about their loved ones, and I note that down. I bring that up in the next conversation or ask more questions (without crossing boundaries).

3. Share About Yourself

As much as people love talking about themselves and it’s an important aspect of building a relationship, it’s also important to leave a mark—talk about something other than work. If you’re into photography, talk about that! Without boring them, of course.

4. Branch Out at Events

If you attend events where you know someone, ask them to introduce you to someone else. Don’t stick to the known person; branch out.

5. Provide Value

Never ask for something if you can’t do something in return. It’s even better if you can offer first.

6. Ask Engaging Questions

Ask questions they can answer. People love explaining what they know, and it releases dopamine.

7. Support on LinkedIn

Coming back to the point about providing value; start supporting them on LinkedIn. Support their interests. They’ll notice. Always.

At the end of the day, when you try to get to know someone without a lot of expectations, you’ll definitely build meaningful relationships.

I’ll cover more in a YouTube video soon, make sure to Subscribe!

 Until Sunday,

Anusha Kannan

Follow Anusha on LinkedIn

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