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Are You Networking Backwards?
“So what do you do?”
The first (and worst) question heard at every networking event ever! Whether it’s in-person or virtual, we’ve all done it. And to make matters worse, what typically follows is the dreaded ‘elevator speech.’
You know, that thing we do that consists of a lifeless, scripted, and perfectly memorized selection of words that makes you sound the same as everyone else who has ever done what you currently do for a living.
All too often, those words come out with very little meaning, a tone that suggests the speaker has said those same words in that exact order a thousand times before and are just going through the motions, and the moment they stop talking, you have already forgotten what they said.
With the exception of very few people who have creatively mastered the craft, people’s elevator speeches are boring and forgettable.
But did you ever think about that routine as backwards?
Want to master effective networking going forward?
Here’s the secret…make yourself memorable by not talking about you!
Most people are used to others walking up, reciting the pitch, and handing out a business card. But if you’re the one in the room who walks up and makes a point to ask about the other person, listen to them…
