The other day I had the opportunity to meet with someone for the first time. He had requested the meeting and was looking to expand his network.
It didn’t go well–at least from my perspective.
I had budgeted an hour for this meeting and had agreed to meet as a favor to a client. My guest was late, but he called from the car to tell me that. That was ok, I had things to do. Then the meeting started.
I didn’t get to speak for 50 minutes.
By the time my guest was willing to let me speak he was starting to listen. Then time was up. We said goodbye and the day went on. At the end of the day I sent him a thank you email. He responded:
“Dear Bob,….” My name’s not Bob.
Ok, so a few things to remember:
- Arrive on time or call to say you will be late.
- Ask questions and have a dialogue with your host/guest.
- Listen and learn.
- Engage and be engaged.
- Even if you are looking for a job, this is not about a job.
- Remember the name of the person who you met with.
- Thank them promptly.
Simple rules for success in networking.
Relentless
