Networking – hypocrisy, fueled by personal gain

Persistence in getting acquainted, a heap of worn-out phrases, sugary aftertaste of parting. You were just attacked by a man selling ... himself. He is dressed neatly, speaks fluently, explained clearly, but all in all – unpleasant. Each new unpromising connection kills. It is very difficult to understand for networker.

Professional collecting of business cards means their monetization, because the world is still ruled by paid reciprocity. It is easier to soar, catching the flow of someone's success – for this you have to get close and in advance ensure the recognition of the person, voice and appeal.

Loving people hold on to each other, the rest do virtuous deeds, driving their neighbors into debts ahead of requests. It is easier to reach the star, having established strong contacts with the sky in advance. Acquaintance is a risk-free investment that pays off repeatedly if mutual profits around.

You cannot become a good person with help of connections, but the right people open doors to successful ones. Want to rely on others – help, hoping for a strength of interlocking ties. Other's pain will become an echo of the heart, promises will make you feel tied up in knots, triumphs and defeats will not to be personal anymore.

1. Do not chase after quantity. Prepare in advance a list of industries, companies, personalities that may come in handy. Set up Google Alerts for names, titles, posts, check the mail regularly – find out the time when it is appropriate to get close.

2. Avoid parties. Fashionable restaurant, luxurious hotel, pretentious presentation will entertain, but will not allow to lay down tackles in full. People will drink, walk, fool around and will not listen. You will get a glass, they will make you drink, and this sortie “going out” will end.

3. Do not build illusions. A paid lunch will not make a companion your friend. For you – useless spending, for him – desperate loss of time. Those who hurry call to have “a cup of coffee” and “a glass of cognac”, hoping that a joint meal will establish a long rapport. Holy naivety!

4. Do sports. A shirt that does not converge on the belly, a lifeline on the waist and greasy cheeks disgustingly repel. The slabsided one inspires confidence by optimism and foretells the exchange of energy messages. Just do not start to talk about diets, marathons and other tortures.

5. Look for the antipodes. It is easier to hang out with those who are the same age, physique, outfit. However, the true numbers of utility belong to the true introverts, decrepit celebrities, and retired politicians. Do not pursue glamor, dive deeper.

6. Have a reason. Asking for a meeting, establishing the contact, following the trail, make an excuse to open your mouth and start a conversation. Do not cut a wide swath, do not swagger, do not fawn. Do not rely on chance, but create the opportunity. Stock up the bait, appropriate to the situation and expectations.

7. Get ready for the meeting. Hoping to cut a large fish, check the information on the web, paying attention to the gallery of recent photographs. Read the latest interviews, watch videos on YouTube, go for social profiles. It is insulting to miss something important because of ignorance.

8. Rehearse the performance. The joy of visual contact – and you are out of breath, well-prepared self-presentation gets stuck in the throat. Instead of the Bravura, vague sobbing bursts out. Repeat who you are, where from, and the reason for which you disturb others otherwise do not stick your nose out of the den.

9. Do not rush in. Haste is needed when catching fleas and saving property in a fire. Pay attention to the collocutor, dissolve in your story, become a pleasant listener. You will be able to inform about the project, idea, start-up at the next event. Do not become an annoying fly.

10. Ask for recommendations. Anonymity is not the best companion of conversations – take care of names, which you will mention without fear. Go beyond traditional representations, update the repertoire every season. Ruthlessly reject the sluggish and not working arrangements.

11. Introduce people. Somehow, the fellow-osteopath asked me to recommend him to my friend. I did it without delay. It turned out a circular benefit – everybody won in a relationship and financially. To connect intelligent people you just need a phone call. But first of all clarify your intentions.

12. Accept refusals. Polite disagreement is better than a rough message. Do not sprinkle with arguments, do not call for reason, and do not expect that they understood you wrong. The first freedom of all is to deny an uninteresting opportunity. You will not meet not only agreements – respect hardness.

13. Work on credit. Do not sweeten with promises, do not babble with captation, and do not boast of other people's potencies. Have something to offer, advise sincerely, act comprehensively. Be ready for trickery and intricacies. Complexities arise where opportunities exist.

14. Prepare such gifts that are needed. I collect pens with company logos. Someone somewhere once wrote that my passion is the collecting of tea spoons. Since then I hate those who mysteriously palm off the cutlery with a conspiratorial squint, saying, “I know your secret”.

15. Do appear too often. You can “suddenly” come to the orbit of birds of high flight, but strictly according to plan. If on the opposite course you see an important person, which you saw recently, avoid contact, so as not to be considered a persecutor. Do not expect that you are the most pleasant interlocutor.

16. Eat moderately. Do not stuff your mouth with snacks. Prepare to begin a complimentary speech every second. Do not smudge and hold dry your right hand, warmly welcome new acquaintances. Give up the idea of desserts with sugar powder, so as not to clean out the outfit. Stock up with wet napkins.

17. Do not vanish. At the first opportunity, record the promises handed out. Negotiate and fulfill the obligations. Keep brand and word. Be a good example to become a partner on which people can rely on. Do not turn into another idle chatterbox.

We are born to be able, but we pretend that we are capable. We condemn what we do not understand and quarrel, instead of establishing ties. We provide services that we were not asked for, expecting money that was not promised. We forget that the worst is the majority, and imitation is a sincere kind of flattery.

Author: Oleg Braginsky

Source: New Retail

Translation: Daniil Shmitt