How to network like a pro — Lessons from Tim Ferriss
This article elucidates the process I heard of and wish follow to network better. This should be considered a concise transcript of the podcast by Tim Ferriss. I wanted to create a checklist because I would like to network better. I hope this helps some of the readers just as I hope it helped me.
Inspiration
I started scouting for information about networking and eventually landed on the podcast by the productivity guru and author, Tim Ferriss on a Playbook and Tactics to get the most of an event (SXSW in his case).
Rules
I gathered a set of rules (unordered To dos list) from the podcast even though they were not explicitly stated.
- Pick one event per week or month that you’d like to attend and go with the aim of establishing a deep connection with one person.
- Research the speakers or A-listers thoroughly and note what they have done, how they contributed to their field.
- Remember the 3 golden tenets of networking — don’t dismiss people, don’t be a dick and don’t rush.
- Look for gatekeepers
- Write well-crafted pitches on 5–10 pieces of paper to hand out to A-listers. Great pitches delivered at a bad time are bad pitches.
- Be the idiot
- Remember: “Small talk is big talk”
Let’s cover these rules elaborately here.
Pick one event per week or month that you’d like to attend
You need to choose one event that you think you can most likely learn from or network better. Think about how popular the event is or how many people attend the event on average. You can use Meetup.com to choose events in your field. While choosing just one event might be counterintuitive or non-obvious, according to TF, it is very effective. The main aim should be to “Go with the aim of establishing a deep connection with one person, just one.”
Three rules to rule them all
Don’t dismiss people — Behave as if everyone has the potential to get your a cover story for the NYTimes.
Don’t be a dick — We’ve all done this, “Hey, I’ll just go to the bathroom and get back to talk to you.” and then you disappear and find a way to not confront the other during the rest of the evening! Not cool!
Don’t rush — While one learns in business schools about Elevator pitches, resist pitching when the time is not right. Write them down instead. (More on this in the section: Writing a pitch — Don’t make impressions, leave a memento.)
Look for Gatekeepers
A-listers are normally mobbed by a crowd after an event. And since an A-lister in consistently bombarded with pitches, don’t expect yours to stand out. Giving them a pitch is pointless. Look at the moderators who might in fact be the gatekeepers of large networks. Ask the moderators who they think are thought leaders in this domain and visit the thought leaders in this domain even thought they have a small website.
Go up and say Hi to someone, anyone you find who is lazily sitting in a corner. They might be the most interesting! If the conversation turns out to be interesting, tell him what you do and ask him, “Is there anyone you think I should talk to?” Repeat this line of questioning to many people, go up to the other person and tell them, “Went up to them, he told me to meet you.”
As TF says,
Your job is not to make a bad first impression.
Writing a pitch — Don’t make impressions, leave a memento.
What you can do when you approach an A-lister is give them a piece of paper. What does this consist of? This should consist of a piece of paper that you’ve painstakingly crafted. Include your phone number and skype. You can say something like, “Hey, I see that you’re busy, I know there’s a long line of people, I thought about this…I think this will be of great interest to you.” Give him a teaser, give him a number. “Wish you a great conference!” You must understand that they’re really busy and they won’t remember even if they have spectacular memory.
Incase you get to ask a question to A-listers, do the following. Ask them if they have a second. Remember, prefect pitch at a bad time is a bad pitch. “Can I bother you for 30 seconds/1 question?” Don’t ask three questions!
Make that one question, “Who on your team could I email you about this new project that I’m working on that might interest you?” They don’t give you their personal email anyway. This will put you in the pro category. If they have entourage around, get to know the people who are waiting 10 feet away from them (Gatekeepers).
Ignorance is bliss. Be the idiot.
Men try to impress people, do the opposite. Be curious.
How to get into a group conversation?
First, don’t work the room!
Go for the most relaxed looking person, not necessarily A-listers. If you want to listen to the A-listers it’s fine, but you won’t get a lot of airtime.
If there are two people, then don’t interrupt. Play the long game, wait.
If there are more than two people, ask them if you can eavesdrop, tell them that you don’t know anybody here. They’re never going to say no, but have the courtesy to ask!
Right, now you’re in the conversation. If someone says something that you don’t understand , ask questions, “Why is this an obvious choice? Why is this an advantage?” This will often spark a debate among the people in the group. Once someone asks you who you are, give a short introduction. Wait for people to ask more. Find out who digs deep. Assuming one person digs deep, at the very end of the conversation, tell him more about it and ask him if he can do a favour with ZERO pressure. If you say so, don’t bug him later! Don’t follow up except if people ask for it.
Focus on the future A-listers. Ask yourself, “Who do you think will become the best up and coming people in your field who haven’t had any press?”
Remember: “Small talk is the big talk!”
If you’re just going to pitch people, you have a better chance sending out cold emails than going to the event. Talk more, dig deep. Instead of asking what do you do? ask them where they’re from and get the context. Why did you do this thing? What is you favourite session till now?
How to escape or pause conversations? — “Hey, are you going to be here for the rest of the meeting? Do you have a card or something? I’ll just wander around, get a cup of coffee. I’m sure I’ll see you around.”
Conclusion
In summary, while the rules mentioned above are theory to me, I will try them out at meet-ups or conferences to road-test them and improve upon them in future updates.
Let me know what you think of the article. :)
