You’ve heard the phrase “your network is your net worth”, right?!

As someone who spent the majority of my career out and about, meeting with clients, constantly hiring, and attending events, I built a strong network.

Then being remote the last 5 years, I missed being out and about and wanted to get back out there. Let me know if you can relate! And better yet, feel free to set up a virtual networking chat with me here.

My friend Markella had started HRNG during Covid as a way to stay connected at a time when we were all at home. I joined virtually each time I could.

And as events starting happening in person, I was there. I wanted to support Markella and I also missed being out and about connecting with folks.

I was telling Markella how awesome HRNG is and she asked to capture it on video. Here it is, simply click to see the video on LinkedIn:

If you’re local, you can learn more and join here. Btw, this is not sponsored, just sharing the love!

Networking with intention

As I shared in my video for HRNG, to me networking is about building relationships. Those relationships, over time, may indeed lead to business or referrals, but my goal is simply creating genuine connections and building relationships.

Here’s 3 questions that may be helpful for you in preparation for your next networking event:

1. What value can I offer?

Notice my first question is about giving. Not receiving!

Relationships that are give and take tend to be more balanced and therefore, more fruitful. Here’s 3 simple ideas for offering value to your new connections:

1. You may be able to offer advice to someone who is experiencing something you’ve already been through or done.

2. It may simply be to introduce them to another connection of yours. This is one of my favorite things to do. I genuinely love to connect good people.

3. Do you have an offer of sorts? Maybe you have content you created that would be helpful for them. Share that.

Again, the idea is to be thinking about “how can I help you”. And of course, you can always ask simply that 😉 

2. Who do I want to meet?

Be prepared to say I’d love an introduction to [insert top prospect] or if you don’t have a specific person/company in mind, then share an overview of your ideal customer profile or your target customer.

I’ll share a quick story…

Years ago, meeting with a friend who had just been laid off, I offered to help her in any way. As we talked about what type of role she wanted next and what type of companies, a specific company came up. She said I’d love to get a job at Company X. Turned out that I knew the Art Director there so was able to help facilitate an introduction. Because she asked about that company specifically, I was able to make a valuable connection vs very generally offering to help any way I can.

So, I encourage you to identify 3 - 5 companies/people you want to work with and share that when someone offers to help you!

3. Who are good referral partners?

Beyond the specific companies or people you want to meet, think about who are good referral partners for you in general.

By that I mean folks who work with your ideal customer and can refer you when the opportunity comes up.

It may be in the same industry or totally different. For example, a fractional CFO, or small business accountant, could a good referral partner for marketers who also work with small business owners.

Now, get out there and network!

If you’re local, come out tomorrow and make new connections with Karaoke 😃

It’s a free event, Thursday, April 11 from 4:30pm - 7:00pm at Pixels in Norfolk. Register here.

And if you’re not local, feel free to set up a networking chat with me and I’m happy to help connect you to others!

If there is one thing I’ve learned in over 20 years of work, it’s that it’s all about the people and the relationships ✨

As always, if you make it this far, thank YOU! It’s silly I know, but I just LOVE to get replies and hear if you like the content or not, or if it helped or inspired you in some way. That truly inspires me to keep creating.

And if you can think of someone who would like my newsletter, you know what to do! Simply forward this email or share this link.

Rooting for you!

‘Til next week 👋

Maeve