Everyone I meet at networking events is selling, not connecting

I went to 4 meetups last month in Austin and every single person handed me a card within 2 minutes. Nobody asked what I actually do or what problems I'm solving. How are you supposed to build a real network when folks treat it like a sales floor? Has anyone found a group where people actually listen first?

2 comments

2 Comments

elizabeth_bailey265d ago

Read somewhere that the best networkers ask three questions before they even think about handing out a card. Tried that at my last meetup and actually had a convo that went past "what do you do".

elliotjenkins2d ago

The real trick is asking stuff that makes them forget its networking at all. Skip the typical "what brings you here" and hit them with something like "what's the weirdest problem you've fixed this month" or "what trend do you think is totally overrated right now." It throws people off and they actually give real answers instead of their elevator pitch. I did that once and ended up talking about bad coffee shop wifi for 20 minutes with a guy who turned out to be a solid lead. The card came out naturally at the end without it feeling forced.

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