12 Essential Networking Strategies for the Antisocial

As I begin to beat the bushes for my next opportunity, I need to re-energize my network which is essential for any new business.  Networking is about having the right people and resources when a business challenge or opportunity arises for which you don’t have the expertise in house, so a professional network should be curated on an ongoing basis. However, it’s easy to neglect it when it’s not a preferred activity. It’s been a while since I was a hardcore programmer, but I am still a walking stereotype when it comes to networking. Conversing with a human being that I have never met before is a challenge more difficult than any technology I have ever encountered. Despite not having a natural talent for meeting new people, it can become more effective with the correct approach.

 Here are 12 simple strategies for being an effective, albeit reluctant, networker:

1. Have a goal – whether that’s someone that can be a key resource or someone that is a potential customer, set a goal for the type of person you’re looking to meet. In other words, have a reason to be there.
2. Make sure it’s the right room - First, the audience of the event should be congruous with your goal. Second, the environment needs to be conducive to meeting new people. Don’t try to network where others there have no desire to network.
3. Go alone – Reluctant networkers will always tend to seek out familiar faces. Bringing another person along is a crutch that is detrimental to meeting new people.
4. Go back – If an event, or type of event, proves even mildly successful, go back at least once. Building a level of trust required for a referral requires meeting someone at least twice.
5. Build a rapport, don’t collect cards – Networks are about deep, personal relationships, not just the number of people you know. Try to connect with people in a meaningful, albeit brief, way.
6. Seek out wallflowers – These kindred spirits hate the place as much as you do. Just because they hate networking doesn’t mean they aren’t a great contact. More importantly, they’re happy to talk to a friendly face, especially when they don’t have to initiate the conversation.
7. Talk about them – Wallflowers and social butterflies alike love to talk about themselves. Simply ask, “what do you do,” and let the conversation flow.
8. Listen intently – Pay attention for things that are relevant to your goal and for things that might just be interesting. At one event, I met someone who studied under Stephen Hawking. It wasn’t relevant to my networking objectives, but it made for a really interesting conversation.
9. Direct the conversation – When someone mentions something that is germane to your goal for the evening, ask follow up questions that may help identify them as a center of influence that can help.
10. Share your goal – The person, or people, you need to meet may be in the room, but you just don’t know it. Share your objective with the people you meet to help find those people.
11. Remember networking happens anywhere – Networking doesn’t just happen at trade shows and chamber of commerce meetings. Relevant contacts and resources can be made in any environment where there are new people.
12. Follow up afterwards – Because it’s about relationships, the process does not end with the exchange of business cards. Pick the most interesting or most helpful people and send a follow up email and have a coffee or lunch. Relationships take time to cultivate.

  Networking can be exhausting for someone that is not a natural networker, and in that vein, it’ll never be something that you seek out in your free time. However, networks are where you find strategic partners, superstar employees, and reliable vendors. Having a viable network is crucial to building a business. At Geode Software, our first 3 major accounts all came from within my personal network.  Utilizing these strategies will not change your innate behavior, but it will make the process more palatable.