When you think of “networking,” what is the first thing that comes to mind? I'll share with you what happens to me: I get a little knot in my stomach and without being completely aware of it, I feel like my body reacts with a feeling of rejection while I think: “HAHAHA?” I'm a marketer and I've heard this word more times than I'd like to admit. Today, for me, “networking” has lost its value, its meaning, its essence. I think it's a very worn-out word and should be out of use.
Talking about “networking” is like that Christmas song that you hear from September and you finish listening to it until January, every day, in all the inns, party halls, shopping centers... that you hear and think: “Again?!”. Except that you hear and see the word “networking” every day, everywhere: it covers all spaces, forever and ever, amen.
I think the problem is not so much the use of the word but what is associated with it. Many of you, when asked about “networking” surely thought of that event you went to (before COVID), to hand out business cards as if they were flyers for the circus. Isn’t that right? Is that networking? Handing out business cards? Obviously not. But that’s what it has become. An exchange without direction or value beyond: a) what we do b) what we work on c) what we are looking for.
That is why today I want to invite you to do what we should always have been doing instead of “networking”: GENERATING GENUINE AND MEMORABLE CONNECTIONS: Genuine connections, those in which there is a real exchange of ideas, where things are shared, where people talk in a transparent way and without hidden motives, become memorable, that is why it is vital to stop doing “networking” and focus on creating real networks, CONNECTIONS, with allies who support us and who we can add to them.
How to do it? It is much simpler than you think!: Here are some tips that have worked for me:
1) Listen. Listening attentively to what the other party is telling you is essential. If people open up to you and share something with you, you should value and appreciate their time listening carefully. Remember that the magic is in the details. Surely whoever is speaking to you is sharing information that tomorrow may be useful to you to add to them or for them to add to you. Pay attention.
2) Always add to them. Always think about how you can add to the person you are talking to. Maybe you can't help them directly, but there's someone you know who can. Get used to helping out whenever you can. By helping others, you help yourself, too.
3) Share. Share your talents, your achievements, your fears, your failures, your story. We can all learn from each other, and most importantly, when you talk about yourself, there will surely be someone who can help you out and get you out of a tight spot, or even better, someone you can help.
4) Be Genuine. Being genuine implies being vulnerable and is part of being a brave person, as studies by Brené Brown prove.
This is the step we struggle with the most because we are afraid to show ourselves as we are, to admit that we have areas of opportunity, that we are not perfect, or that in our world, not everything is rosy, but at the same time, it is what makes us more real in the eyes of others. So go ahead and show your true self, vulnerabilities and all. I assure you that there is more than one person who will identify with you.
Networking is a thing of the past. Generating connections may take more time and be a longer process, but in the end, it is more enjoyable and it is something that, if you do it right, you will have for the rest of your life. There are many genuine connections that, in my case, have become best friends, partners, allies... they have become memorable.
Today we need to start generating memorable and genuine connections. Not only for the well-being of our business, but for our own. Go ahead and connect and tell me how it goes, okay?
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