Dearest readers, hope everything’s going well for you :) We’re almost done with January, so if you haven’t already put things in high gear (new year resolutions), it’s almost time to do so (at least that’s what this smart cookie believes haha). Since networking is on top of many people’s list, I’m doing a part two to my previous entry. The previous one was aimed at dating and showcased an amazing well researched and put together flirting approach that revolutionizes that whole game. Now, it’s time to get into the meat potatoes of it- networking to expand your professional and personal networks. This one comes to us from Christopher Barratt, an accomplished author, consultant and speaker in Management Development Skills. Enjoy the summary of his tried and true steps based on real world experience, and then try it yourself feeling happy that he takes the guesswork out of it forever. Christopher divides it into four steps that have to go in this exact order: 1. Know 2. Like 3. Trust 4. Buy. All the work is in the first two steps, and then the last two follow naturally.
By Know, Christopher means to meet in person. Social media helps find people and follow up with them later, but the middle has to be a face to face. Many people just don’t get this. For example, when two people connect through a dating site, they later say they met online. No, they didn’t. They went through a mutual selection process online, but they met offline face to face- period. When meeting people anywhere and especially events, they come in singles, pairs and threes. Pairs and threes come in open and closed positions. Closed means they are actively engaged in talking to each other and form a closed circle with their bodies. If you go for a single, you’ll get stuck with that person. Pairs are not the best option because they’re rarely open. You need to go for an open three with at least one woman; science shows women are more socialized and bring people into groups more easily than men do. Go in quickly and say “Hi, may I join you?” and then be quiet. Carefully close the group while they're talking. Now, whenever you’re stuck at an event without a group of three with a woman, go find the main table and put your drink or coffee down, it'll help open a group that gets there too sooner or later. Also, watch for body language of people in a three because they may be so little engaged with each other that the group will fall apart and diminish your networking potential.
Under Like, Christopher directs people to follow the W.A.I.T. acronym which stands for “Why Am I Talking”. You need to be fascinated by the people in the group- listen and be interested before you become interesting to them. Also, remember that givers gain. Ask things like “What do you do?”, “How can I help you?” and “Is there someone I can put you in touch with?”. This will help you to become liked.
Once you do the Know and Like steps right, Trust and Buy steps flow naturally and require no further explanations.
To be honest, dearest readers, I used to read and watch stuff like this and always pick and choose what parts of an approach I’ll try, thinking I should fully customize it to somehow make it “better” or “my own”. However, I have come to realize that, if these are created by people who are educated, have real world experience and the talent to teach and coach others, I should just try the approach exactly as designed, and see how well it works for me. In fact, I already did it and it worked wonderfully. I also hope it works well for you too. Happy networking everyone :)
By Know, Christopher means to meet in person. Social media helps find people and follow up with them later, but the middle has to be a face to face. Many people just don’t get this. For example, when two people connect through a dating site, they later say they met online. No, they didn’t. They went through a mutual selection process online, but they met offline face to face- period. When meeting people anywhere and especially events, they come in singles, pairs and threes. Pairs and threes come in open and closed positions. Closed means they are actively engaged in talking to each other and form a closed circle with their bodies. If you go for a single, you’ll get stuck with that person. Pairs are not the best option because they’re rarely open. You need to go for an open three with at least one woman; science shows women are more socialized and bring people into groups more easily than men do. Go in quickly and say “Hi, may I join you?” and then be quiet. Carefully close the group while they're talking. Now, whenever you’re stuck at an event without a group of three with a woman, go find the main table and put your drink or coffee down, it'll help open a group that gets there too sooner or later. Also, watch for body language of people in a three because they may be so little engaged with each other that the group will fall apart and diminish your networking potential.
Under Like, Christopher directs people to follow the W.A.I.T. acronym which stands for “Why Am I Talking”. You need to be fascinated by the people in the group- listen and be interested before you become interesting to them. Also, remember that givers gain. Ask things like “What do you do?”, “How can I help you?” and “Is there someone I can put you in touch with?”. This will help you to become liked.
Once you do the Know and Like steps right, Trust and Buy steps flow naturally and require no further explanations.
To be honest, dearest readers, I used to read and watch stuff like this and always pick and choose what parts of an approach I’ll try, thinking I should fully customize it to somehow make it “better” or “my own”. However, I have come to realize that, if these are created by people who are educated, have real world experience and the talent to teach and coach others, I should just try the approach exactly as designed, and see how well it works for me. In fact, I already did it and it worked wonderfully. I also hope it works well for you too. Happy networking everyone :)