THOUGHT LEADERS
Joe Glover, founder of The Marketing Meetup, on how Cambridge groups are leading the way for networking events
etworking has always been important to business growth. Through collaboration, we can
person you’re speaking to that you’re interested in them, not just yourself.
Humans over job titles I think we have focused on job titles for determining the value of a human being for too long. My contention is that open networking is actually a very inefficient way of getting new business, and you should therefore embrace the randomness of the interactions you make and commit yourself to those conversations, almost regardless of who the person is. Through a breadth of interactions with all kinds of people, we become richer in experience and have our eyes opened to new worlds. While the person standing in front of you may not have immediate ‘value’ to your business, you never know when you may need to call on them or the information they’ve imparted to you. Value first, business later Do you know what people hate? Being sold stuff they don’t want. I’m not anti-sales. In fact, salespeople bringing a solution to a problem is welcomed. But the traditional methods of selling to anyone who has the misfortune to be standing nearby is no longer acceptable. The people hanging on to the methods of a bygone era are easy to spot, as you can almost see the pound signs flash in their eyes as you speak. The new way is to stop, listen and actually care about the conversation you are having at the time. Ask where you can help, and then give value upfront, looking for returns later on. Joe Glover runs The Marketing Meetup, a networking group now in ten locations across the country, with 100 events per year for a community of over 5,500 marketers. Find out more at themarketingmeetup.com
be better than the sum of our individual parts. And yet, somewhere along the way, networking events have become lost in a quagmire of complicated formats, rigid recommendation structures and a focus on job titles instead of human beings. In short, we’ve tried to create shortcuts and processes to create a connection. The result is that networking events have gained a bad rep and can be tiresome. The standard complaints of ‘I just get people selling to me all the time’, ‘I don’t want to recommend someone I don’t know’ or ‘the group was just plain unwelcoming’ are fair. But it’s not all doom and gloom. The times, they are a-changin’ – and Cambridge is leading the way. In our city, we have an incredible array of networking events that are doing things in what feels like the ‘right way’. But what is the right way? Well, may I be so bold as to propose where I think networking events are going? Here, I present you with three new norms for attending a networking event. Listening The pressure is real when you walk into a room of strangers and feel like you have to make an impression. Even worse is when you feel like you have to be the smartest person in the room. How often have you experienced someone speaking to you and switched off halfway through because you’re panicking that you have to think of something clever to say in response? Take the pressure off by reminding yourself that networking is an opportunity to learn, too. If you don’t understand something, ask the person you’re talking to. By asking questions, you’re keeping the conversation going – and showing the
Somewhere along the way, networking events have become lost in a quagmire of complicated formats, rigid recommendation structures and a focus on job titles instead of human beings"
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ISSUE 01
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