Want to Succeed at Networking? Stop Networking…for Yourself

By Leonard Lang, Ph.D.

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Woody Allen reportedly said, “80% of success is showing up.” There’s a lot to that, but if you’re networking at some event, that other 20% that doesn't have to do with just showing up will be the difference between being remembered well and merely being a recycled business card the next day.

So how can you stand out? One great way: Offer other your fellow event participants something they really need.

I’m not talking about your business services or products that they might need in the future. I’m talking about what they need now.... Today.... This minute!

What’s that? The same basic thing you need right away at the same event—useful connections and introductions.

Instead of focusing on how you can meet the right people, spend your time listening to and interviewing people to find out why they are there and what kind of people they want to meet. You can then bring people together for mutual benefit, or if that seems too high pressured, just let them know about each other.

One way to help you do this is to request extra cards from people and, with their permission, hand them out to appropriate business “matches”—just as you would do for yourself. You might also want to use a small notebook or PDA to fill in a few points about each person—checking off people’s interests by categories you’ve determined in advance to make it easy for you to track quickly.

Suddenly you’re one of the key connectors. You’re helping people. You’re asking great questions. You’re no longer waiting on conversations to squeeze in your elevator speech. You may even create a buzz about yourself.

Don’t ignore yourself, either. Definitely introduce yourself and answer questions about yourself. But keep in mind your new primary goal. While you are doing this to help people, you’ll also get the side benefit: People will be more likely to remember you later whenever they—or people they know—ever need to hire someone or purchase what you offer.