Building Your Network When You Hate Networking: Part 2

Leveraging Business Cards for Connection

• 📇 Business cards, though seemingly archaic, remain a useful tool for making connections.
• ✍️ Writing personal contact details on the back, like a cell phone number, adds a personal touch.
• 🧠 Engaging multiple senses (sight, touch, handwriting) through physical cards aids memory retention.

Building Relationships Beyond Attendees

• 🤝 Building relationships with event organizers can unlock access to their extensive networks.
• 💌 Sending thank you cards promptly after an event, even on the flight home, conveys sincerity and thoughtfulness.
• 🎤 Thanking speakers for their effort, regardless of perceived quality, is a valuable networking practice.

Utilizing Your Strengths in Networking

• 🎯 High 'C' personalities (conscientious, organized) excel at follow-through, diplomacy, and reliability in relationships.
• 📈 Logical and rational individuals can leverage their planning skills by setting goals for events and researching attendees beforehand.
• 📝 Taking notes on personal details (e.g., family, interests) provides valuable information for future relationship building.

Categorizing and Maintaining Your Network

• 🗂️ Dividing contacts into groups (ones, twos, threes) based on relationship depth and engagement frequency helps manage your network.
• 🗓️ Systematization, such as setting recurring tasks in a CRM or calendar, can help ensure regular contact with your network.
• 💡 Different levels of relationships are acceptable; most contacts will likely fall into a less active category (group three).

The Importance of Network Etiquette

• 👍 Etiquette provides a framework for smooth social interactions, reducing awkwardness and fostering warmer relationships.
• 😊 Smiling is a universal sign of non-threat and requires looking at people directly, not at phones.
• 🤝 Basic courtesies like saying please and thank you, apologizing, and making small talk are fundamental to positive interactions.
• 🔬 Research and observation can help you learn and adopt effective networking behaviors from others, treating it like a science experiment.