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How to not suck at networking events:
đTalk about literally anything besides business.
In classic âwhatâs old is new againâ fashion, in person events are the new new. Everyoneâs talking about it because *shocker* people buy from people they know in a crap market.
People like happy hour more than they like spam. Who knew.
But for most of my career I hated networking events. In my experience there were two types of people who attended:
1. Thirsty salespeople pitching each other nonstop.
Spam in human form. I wonât bother elaborating. Youâre nodding your head already.Â
2. Importance evaluators wondering if thereâs someone better they should be talking to.
Name droppers and âwhat kind of car do you drive?â types. The thirsty salespeople with more discernable tastes.
Last week I attended two events last week and had an A+ time. Met lots of great people. Definitely a few contacts Iâll stay in touch with.
My secret? (Itâs not a secret I led this piece with it.)
đTalk about literally anything besides business.Â
Discussions at last weekâs events: My undying love for Costco. Why Kurt Vonnegut is the greatest American writer. How kids travel sports are a bigger scam that crypto. Why no one seems to know what theyâre hiring for (in my defense I was answering a question.) How in the hell were edible illegal for so long while booze wasnât?
Why is this effective?
đBecause I remember the names and faces of everyone I had these conversations with and look forward to seeing them again.
But Iâve already forgotten everyone who pitched me.
You can follow me on LinkedIn here and Twitter here. Join the discussion on this LinkedIn post (or give it a đ) here.