The Lion’s Pride: Networking - Doing It On the Road

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The Lion’s Pride: Networking

Doing It On the Road

Most of us, at some point, go out of town for either business or personal reasons. Too often, though, we pass up opportunities to gain valuable industry and/or company insight by keeping to ourselves.

You can make your travels more productive, however, by going into networking mode. Here are a few things to keep in mind when you're out of town:

Everyone is a potential contact. I was in an airport gift store a while back and started chatting with the clerk. She mentioned how many celebrities and businesspeople come through her store. She also has a large number of regulars who are mainly local businesspeople. Given her number of contacts in the community, she proved to be an excellent contact. She shared some information with me because I treated her like an equal - a professional. I'm glad I didn't pass up talking with her.

Talk about more than business. John Candy's character in Trains, Plains and Automobiles went on and on about shower curtain rings. Unfortunately, we've all been trapped on a plane next to someone like this. When these rather annoying people talk about other topics (sports, weather, books), they suddenly become less annoying. Be a human first - and job hunter or businessperson second.

Have information to give. Networking, as has been said before on this site, is all about give and take (note the phrase starts with "give"). When, in the course of conversation, you can offer information, you can be sure that will be receiving information at some point. It's networking karma.

Ask questions, but don't play 20 questions. There's a fine line between being inquisitive and annoying. Ask a few questions, then relate the person's answer back to one of your own experiences. This leads to a more conversational tone.

Know when to shut up. If the person you're talking too is obviously uncomfortable talking with you, then know when to say when. Gracefully end your conversation and let the person off the hook.

IN THE CARAVAN: Networking on the road can be enormously beneficial. Be sure to treat everyone well, be a little chatty, offer information, be conversational and know when to stop talking.

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Business Card Pack Rats / Gump-Style Networking / Becoming the Hub Increases Your Brand / Becoming the Hub II: Building Self-Feeding Buzz / Myths and Truisms / Grow Your Network - Go Where The Employers Are! / It's Not What You Know... / Always Be Prepared...Even If You're Not a Boy Scout / How to Make Six Degrees of Separation Work (Even If You're Not Kevin Bacon) / Marketing and Branding Yourself, Part I / Branding II: Your Website or Blog / Finding the Right Contact Person / Give a Little to Get a Little / Why Join Organizations? / First Contact With Mr. Smith, Part 1 / First Contact With Mr. Smith, Part 2: The Winning of The Sally / First Contact With Mr. Smith, Part 3: First Impressions / Asking Mr. Smith for Help, Part 1 / Asking Mr. Smith for Help, Part II: It's Not the Song, It's the Singer / Asking Mr. Smith for Help, Part III: Getting down to business / Networking at Job Fairs / Doing It On the Road / Networking Online / Getting Info From Sally & Co., Part I / Getting Info From Sally & Co., Part II: Asking The Right Questions / Networking Out of Town Part I: Laying the Foundation / Networking Out of Town Part II: Touring for Interviews / Working the Network by Feeding the Network / 'Running' Into Contacts / You Only Get What You Ask For / Press the Flesh II: Small Talk / Press the Flesh Like a Pro / Playing the Percentages / Fishing and the Right Bait / Shrek Style / Get Your Butterflies Flying In Formation / Discover Other People’s Passions / Double Dipping Doing Good / Overbooking Your Way to a New Job / Shaking the Branches of Your Family Tree / Working Your Reunion / Parents of Your Kids' Friends