Value

When I first started my career in Advertising, I was under the impression that I needed to attend networking events to progress. So, I attended all kinds of networking events.

• Networking events for people who lived in Santa Monica
• Networking events for people who worked in Advertising
• Networking events for German speakers in Los Angeles

I had my elevator pitch ready to roll despite having nothing to sell. I was a junior-level employee in an ad agency with an income bordering the poverty level. Heck, I couldn't even give people a ride home, as my primary modes of transportation were my bike and a bus (only when I felt like splurging).

Other than improving my ability to speak to strangers, which is probably a good skill to have, and meeting one of my future best friends, I got very little value out of the idea of going to networking events. This charming German certainly never did any business.

Fast-forward a decade, and I am driving through the country to organize events for entrepreneurs. This time, I didn't have a pitch. Yet, I walked away with dozens of really meaningful relationships, many of which led to really positive personal and business outcomes.

What was the difference?

Two things.

1. I organized the events and always opened them, so people were likely more comfortable talking to me than the average attendee.
2. I delivered actual value. I brought people together, gave people an opportunity to speak or to learn.

It may not be a bad idea to go to networking events.

But don't go there with the expectation to "get" something.

Go there with the expectation to "give" something.

• If you do SEO, offer a few meaningful tips.
• If you're a personal trainer, create a free assessment so people can see your skills in action.
• If you're at the beginning of your career, see if you can learn more about what problems people are dealing with ("What keeps you up at night?" is usually a great question). Then, do some research and follow up thoughtfully, sharing what you learned—obviously without being preachy.
• If you're a great fly fisher and someone seems interested, offer to take them out sometime.
• If you're a great bartender and someone says they'd love to learn how to make a martini, offer to show them.

At this point people usually want to ask me for marketing advice. If I have a nice conversation with someone, I always offer to meet them for a cup of coffee to chat about whatever is keeping them up at night when it comes to their marketing.

Even if people never take you up on any of those offers, they'll remember you. And if you want to, you'll have the opportunity to build a relationship.

Next time you walk into a room of strangers, don't focus on how many business cards you can collect. Instead, ask yourself—who can I help today?