Becoming a well-known figure in your industry will make it much easier to attract new clients and position you as a trustworthy professional for larger, more appealing projects. Building relationships is most effective in person, and we'll show you how to network your way into valuable connections.
Your family & friends
The first network you should spread the word about what you do is the one that's already built - family and friends. You don't have to do it in an overly official way, but whenever you meet someone, don't forget to mention your new occupation. A life update Facebook or Instagram post won't hurt either. The people closest to you will want to help you. When you ask other solopreneurs, it's nothing unusual that their first client comes from this circle.
Industry conferences & events
These are the go-to places for professional networking. You'll have a chance to meet people from your industry who are mostly there for the same reason you are - to network. It's also where you can catch some inside information from the industry that will take some time to get public. Don't forget to bring your business cards! We'd also recommend taking a few moments every hour (or more often if needed) and writing down the people you met and what you talked about. It will be very useful when writing it-was-great-to-meet-you messages after the event. You will meet so many people and talk about so many things that you'll have a very hard time remembering it all.
You don't have to limit yourself only to the conferences and events in your industry. If you have a target audience you want to specialize in, being where they are is a great opportunity to learn more about them, introduce yourself, talk to them, and maybe even get some business. If you attend them regularly, they'll definitely notice.
Since you're at a conference, you can also create some valuable content to help your personal brand. Take many pictures, write down key takeaways from the keynotes, and any other insights you'll hear. Then, post it all on LinkedIn - ideally in real-time - and tag the speaker who may notice it and repost it. Even if he doesn't, it will still show your LinkedIn network that you go places and help you to reach a lot of people - these posts get a lot of likes, reposts, and comments.
Authentic relationships
When meeting people from your industry, you may be tempted to only think about what they can do for you or how you can benefit from the relationship. While that's a natural part of professional relationships, keep them authentic. These are the people that will be around for many, many years to come, many even for your whole career.
It's also better to really know a smaller number of people than artificially know everyone in the industry. Don't be that person with 8.000 LinkedIn connections, of which you only know three.
Know who’s who
General knowledge of people in the industry can be very beneficial. If you're not fully aware of who's who and you're going somewhere, try to at least learn more about the people who will be there - if you have a good memory, dig a little bit deeper.
Remembering and using this information can be your secret networking weapon - there's nothing like walking up to the person, introducing yourself, saying where you know the person from (you can make this up - just mention their company), and then casually talking about something very specific that person does. People like to talk about themselves, so you should have no problem getting the conversation going, and they will probably even be flattered that you know them. This works best with those who aren't generally famous - knowing all about the celebs of the industry won't be anything special.
Some people aren't so open with strangers, or even though they're well-known, they may be a bit introverted, so don't worry if some of them are a little restrained. But you can take it to the bank that there will be others who are very impressed that you know about them and what they do and may be inclined to return the favor somehow.
💡 Keep in mind
Focus on professional matters. Walking up to someone and asking how his 10-year-old daughter who had a birthday last week is doing won't be a good idea.
Be the one people want to know and be around
The best professional relationships are mutually beneficial. Don't focus on plain self-promotion, collecting and distributing business cards like a machine. Become a person worth knowing. Know things, and don't be afraid to share them - news, experiences, expertise, and whatever else that can be valuable to others. If you can help someone, do it. Be fun and sociable.
What if you’re introverted?
Extroverted people definitely have a big advantage in the networking space. They have no problem striking up conversations with strangers, can immediately be friends with everyone, and people tend to remember them. If this is not exactly a description of you, don't worry. Introverts are usually more analytical and have a deeper and more thorough understanding of things - it's not a rule, but it's often the case. Try to find conversations or spaces where people go deeper into issues where you can showcase your strengths.
But even introverts can make good active networkers. It's just a matter of confidence and starting. Push yourself to talk to a few people, and you'll see that it goes easier than you thought - this will eliminate the nervousness, and once you get it going, you'll be going. A common mistake is trying to emulate the extroverts - if talking loudly, fast, laughing, and using animated hand gestures doesn't come naturally to you, don't force it. Be yourself.
Keeping the connection alive
After the conference or an event, sit down and message everyone you met about how great it was to meet them and talk about what you talked about. This is the easier part. The bigger challenge is to stay in touch with people long-term, especially when it's unclear when you'll meet again. Messaging them about how they're doing once in a while can work, but only for a time - it will be a bit weird if your whole conversation history was you asking someone how they're doing and them sending a one-sentence response and asking you the same just to be polite. If you don't know them well, a better approach is to occasionally comment or like their LinkedIn posts. This is absolutely non-intrusive, doesn't require their response (although often they will), and they will even be grateful for it.
Remember
👉 Your family and friends are an ideal place to start.
👉 Professional relationships are best built in person.
👉 Being fun and knowing something about a person will help you impress.
👉 If you're introverted, lean into your deep knowledge and analytical skills.
👉 Use conferences to build your personal brand on LinkedIn, too.
👉 Commenting and liking LinkedIn posts is often a better way to stay in touch than personal messages.
Homework
1️⃣ Make sure your inner circle knows about your career and where to find more information about you.
2️⃣ Make a list of conferences and industry events happening this year within a travel distance you're comfortable with.
3️⃣ Pick some and go.
👏 You’ve got this!
Next lesson
Partnerships →
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