 Your new post is loading...
Your new post is loading...
You probably know that powerful people receive dozens, if not hundreds, of unsolicited requests every day. And at networking events or speaking engagements, the most influential folks in the room usually have to fight back a scrum of people hoping to get a word in or hand off a business card. To get on their radar, you have to do more than cold email and hope for the best, or push your way to the front of the line at industry mixers. The better way to connect with superstars isn’t to get in front of them and ask them for things. As Duke University professor and author Dorie Clark put it, “The world is competing for the attention of the most successful people,” she wrote for Harvard Business Review. “If you want to meet them–and break through and build a lasting connection–the best strategy is to make them come to you.” Here are a few ways to do that.
Via The Learning Factor
One of the most frustrating aspects of job searching is feeling like you’ve already reached out to everyone you know. You’ve asked every contact you can possibly think of if you could buy them a cup of coffee—from your first boss to that former co-worker you didn't even particularly like. Yet, you’re still just as far away from a new role as you were when you started. I know it sounds too good to be true, but there is another way to expand your network, meet new people and make meaningful connections.
Via The Learning Factor
You already know the basics of leaving a polished first impression, like dressing well, making eye contact, and having a firm handshake. That's great advice, but it's probably not enough. If you really want to be memorable (for the right reasons), you need to think about what you say and how you say it. Here are a few straightforward pointers that many people miss.
Via The Learning Factor
It’s helpful to be honest about why you’re reaching out (for example, you’re going through a job search or moving to a new city). It can combat nerves and help the process feel more genuine. In other words, it instantly solves two core issues many people stress about when told to network. That said, as with anything else, you know there’s a difference between being straightforward and being overly blunt. For example, you know to write, "I was thinking of approaching the project from a different angle" over "I hate all of your ideas." Aspiring to find this balance, many people begin networking emails with "Remember me?" or even, "You probably don’t remember me..." After all, why not begin with an honest admission so the other person knows you aren’t being fake? Well, unfortunately, this approach often backfires. While you’re coming from a sincere place, it’s pretty audacious to ask for something from someone whom you’re blatantly admitting you barely know.
Via The Learning Factor
It's party season. After that comes conference season, and then summer workshop season, then another conference season, and then party season again. At all these events, as well as many occasions in-between, you're going to meet, or spy across the room, someone you really want to talk to. Only you won't be quite sure how to start the conversation. Starting a conversation with a stranger can be daunting, but it really isn't that hard. There are really only three rules: Be pleasant and upbeat; be open and straightforward; and say something the other person will want to hear. With that in mind, here's are some conversation starters guaranteed to get things rolling. After that, it's up to you.
Via The Learning Factor
If you're introverted (like me), you may find it difficult to connect with people at social gatherings. If you're extroverted, you face a different challenge--your outgoing personality may run roughshod over people you'd like to know better. Not to worry. There's help for all of us. At the Reader's Legacy awards last weekend, I had the opportunity to meet with Larry Benet, who is the co-founder of SANG Events, which feature speakers like Tony Hsieh, Tony Robbins, and Jack Canfield.
Via The Learning Factor
For many of us, the idea of professional networking conjures unctuous thoughts of pressing the flesh with potential employers, laughing at unfunny jokes, and pretending to enjoy ourselves.
No wonder a recent study found that professional networking makes people feel unclean, so much so that they subconsciously crave cleansing products. The study, titled The Contaminating Effects of Building Instrumental Ties: How Networking Can Make Us Feel Dirty, appeared in the December 2014 issue of Administrative Science Quarterly.
Via The Learning Factor
|
The landing page for Purple Squirrel makes a huge promise: “Land a $100K job with no connections.” The next line spells out how: “Purchase time with real employees at the best companies in the world to get your foot in the door and learn the tips you need to get hired quickly.” In this case, pay to play makes sense if you want to break into the likes of Facebook, Tesla, Deloitte, or another of the more than 500 companies that have employee advocates on Purple Squirrel’s platform, according to its cofounder and CEO, Jon Silber. An advocate is a current employee, but doesn’t formally represent the employer. Rather, they act as a paid mentor for 30-minute phone consultations.
Via The Learning Factor
Whether you are building your business, trying to land your dream job or climbing your way up the corporate ladder, it seems like everyone tells you to network. It is the key to achieving your goals. However, people rarely tell you exactly how to network effectively and build a community that will last. Building a community takes a lot of dedication and has its challenges. I wasn't always the best at navigating social situations. In fact, I was and still am a bit of a geek. But, by applying my knowledge of science, I have formed stronger, longer-lasting relationships Here are three ways you can too:
Via The Learning Factor, Kevin Watson
If you’re a normal professional, you may just feel at least a smidge of apprehension or resentment when it comes time to drag yourself to (or get dragged to) a professional networking event. Sure, sure, the crab puffs might be killer, but there are so many things to not love about these shindigs that I’d be here for hours if I tried to highlight each one. Because that doesn’t sound fun for either of us, let’s start with four common reasons why you don’t enjoy them—even when you know (or suspect) they’re important to attend. And then let’s find a better option for every stinking one of them.
Via The Learning Factor
I opened my Twitter account a few years ago, but for a while I didn't have much to show for it. As of April 27, 2014, I had never posted a single tweet and had a mere 85 followers. From a professional standpoint, that was a problem. I'm the head of a sales training and consulting firm that specializes in applying behavioral science—the study of how the human brain makes choices—to business and sales. I knew I needed to communicate better with more prospective clients, and I wondered what would happen if I applied my science background to boosting my social media reach. So I decided to set myself up as a guinea pig. But from the outset, I made one rule: I'd never spend more than 15 minutes a day on Twitter. Instead, I'd have to use some behavioral science–backed strategies to produce the greatest results in the shortest amount of time.
Via The Learning Factor
In every office, some employees carry a little more sway than others. Perhaps they’ve amassed enough political capital in the workplace to trade favors with colleagues and persuade supervisors to see things from their point of view. Maybe they can schmooze their way through a sales negotiation or exploit relationships with support staff to smooth the progress of a budget meeting. Recently, some research has suggested that employees who exhibit this type of political proficiency in the workplace also perform better on the job. After all, if politically savvy employees can network more effectively and rally support across different factions of their department or company, it stands to reason that they also have the ability to exert more positive influence over firm-wide affairs.
Via The Learning Factor
Networking can feel like the professional equivalent of speed dating. And, like speed dating, you don't just want to make a good impression — you want to make a lasting one. So, how can you present yourself well and make meaningful connections when it feels like you're making small talk with people who are only half-listening? The first step is to reframe your concept of networking. At your next event, remind yourself that it's less about empty chit-chat and more about making connections. How do you make those? By forgetting everything you thought you knew about networking small talk and, instead, tapping into the science of good conversation! Here are six strategies for being the most popular person to talk to at your next networking event.
Via The Learning Factor
Fourteen years ago when I was working in corporate America I began wooing "Big Firm," a potential new client. I started with a cold-call letter I’d spent an embarrassing number of hours composing. It met with silence.
But like a teen boy crushing, I kept pursuing Big Firm for many awkward months, painstakingly crafting proposal after proposal. These earned me a series of thanks-but-no-thanks replies, each signed by the same guy. We’ll call him “John.”
I studied Big Firm and sussed out that John was a mid-level but well-connected player and, by all accounts, a rising star. I wrote to John directly. Another polite rebuff.
It was time to turn to the darker side of my skill set (I've been in intelligence investigations for 23 years).
Via The Learning Factor
|
Small talk and cold emailing will only take you so far, but these five tactics can get you noticed—and remembered—for all the right reasons.
The better way to connect with superstars isn’t to get in front of them and ask them for things. If you want to meet them–and break through and build a lasting connection–the best strategy is to make them come to you.” Here are a few ways to do that.