Network with Uncommon Courtesy

A reader recently asked for some simple tips to network with more courtesy and to avoid coming off like a ‘slug’ at networking events. My comments.

Networking with ‘Uncommon Courtesy’ is both simple and easy and can clearly differentiate you from everyone else:

  • Talk less and listen more. This helps you avoid talking too much, especially about you.
  • Tell less and ask more, especially asking good questions about them and what they do.
  • With your follow up phone call, ask ˜Is this is a good time? in the first 15 seconds.
  • Respect their time by not asking for large amounts of it too soon. Several short phone conversations or an e-mail exchange are better than asking for that 90-minute lunch.

These strategies take so little time or effort, but do so much to impress other people that you are a Networking Pro not a Slug. So, try them at every event you attend. You’ll be amazed with your results. Some people may call these strategies ‘common courtesy’, but in today’s workplace there’s nothing common about courtesy