Let’s Stay Connected
How do you feel about this so-called thing they call “networking”? Whether you love it or hate it, I’m here to help us all redefine it.
Today’s takeaway is a simple but powerful phrase I recommend people use when they exchange information upon meeting. We’ve all found ourselves in this scenario (all generations represented here) :
Let me get your business card
Let’s exchange numbers
Let me get your email address
Let’s connect on social
Let me scan your…LinkedIn/Blinq Card, etc.
And then, when it’s time to reach out (dunh, dunh, dunh), the blank screen is staring at us, and we feel like we’ve been transported into a dating scenario. Here’s how I recommend we transform that experience from an intimidating one, to a more palatable one:
In the moment when we decide that we’ve enjoyed this person’s company enough to exchange information, we now say (out loud):
“I would love to stay connected”, or “Let’s stay connected”, and then we proceed to exchange info. Why does this work:
It’s an actual invitation to continue the connection, versus starting from scratch at that post-meet blank screen.
It expresses intention to actually stay connected.
It creates expectation that another moment of connection is what you are after, versus leaving them wondering.
Now, when we reach back out (I recommend doing so within 3 days), the person expects it—because we expressed the intention when the connection was first made.
I truly believe we were all created for connection, and that we can get more out of it, and…give more in it.
But it starts with changing our end goal. If our end goal in networking is attached to what the dictionary tells us, we’re going to be extremely limited in our outcomes.
Maybe we do get a job or a client out of it, but I like to say that business is actually the least exciting outcome of the way I teach networking. When our networking goal is reframed through a lens of connection, we all become empowered to give more and get more.
Next time, we’ll talk about my foundational pillars for networking success:
Casual Connection
Curiosity
Intention
Empathy
But you can already see how this little hack for how we exchange information, touches on each of these pillars.
Carline Hooker is a Connection Coach, and Founder of NetworKIT. After finding consistent success in corporate sales, she developed those strategies into practical tools that support genuine professional connection in what some call “networking”, and business development/sales. By leading these efforts with organic connection, versus transactions, through her coaching, Carline encourages others to show up in more casual and authentic ways.
Follow her on Instagram at @networkitcoach