Networking Reminder: OPERATION! Improve Your Connections

Instructions: Connecting effectively requires that you use your heart - not just your head - when networking.

Operation! was a supremely goofy battery-operated game from my youth.

It was a “skills” game designed to test your hand-eye coordination. Players earned points for successfully removing ailments from the patient – water on the knee, funny bone, broken heart, wrenched ankle...not sure it successfully encouraged any player to pursue a career in medicine.

I know, you're probably wondering where this post is going.

BUT STICK WITH ME HERE!

There is a serious network building point to my goofy reminiscences about a board game from my 1970's childhood.

For this networking edition of "Operation!...you are required to engage your heart and your head before you dive into any networking action.

That is, assess, analyze, diagnose BEFORE you seek to connect (or make your big, bold networking ask).

Picture someone (or a company) who you are seeking to connect with.

A target employer or customer, perhaps?

Get a really good image of the networking target in your mind.

Then, ask yourself:

What is going on with the person or company or organization or entity or group I'm seeking to connect with?

By way of example, let's say you've fired off a new business pitch to an account executive you met at a recent business networking lunch. Let's also assume that this new networking contact suggested you send along business details. So you've done that, as asked. Now that a few weeks have passed, and you've heard nothing...and before you catastrophize, pause to diagnose what's going on the them.

Off the top of my head, here are a few things that could be going on in a busy person (or company's) day and distracting them from your email:

• Budget review
• Revised business focus
• Office pressures (caused by human dynamics, a restructuring or perhaps, either of the first two bullet points)
• Stock Market
• Tariffs and trade agreements
• Time Zone(s)
• Staffing (from shortages to on-boarding new hires)
• Leadership Changes
• Promotion or New Job
• System Upgrades
• Procurement Policies (nothing like new layers of added administrative processes!)
• Downsizing
• Holidays
• Vacations
• Department Offsite
• Leave Of Absence
• Secondment

THEN there is all the personal stuff....from the cat dying to moving into a new home to a child's graduation or visiting relatives.

Here's the networking bottomline (and how to win this networking game):

Use your head (facts, observations, data) and your heart (understanding, empathy, “been there” feelings) when deciding how and when to reach out or follow-up (especially when no-one has returned your call or responded to your email).

You may have identified THEM as the perfect [client, employer, customer business partner, whatever] but you need to consider what is going on inside their world.

You want to get a response? Focus on: What’s ailing them? What’s consuming their time, energy, focus? And craft your outreach based on what you have observed, discovered or attuned to.

A Networking To-Do For This Week:

Instead of making yourself sick waiting for answers, review the email communications (i.e. pitches, asks, requests) you've recently sent out.

What can you do to improve the communication (and connection)?

Did you fire off an email without all the facts? Has a bit of information come in that could improve the initial email - if so, how can you send a more convincing follow-up? Is your email languishing because of a flood of budget review meetings in their calendar? What about scheduling a reminder to resend when the budget is finalized?