When networking 121s go wrong. Adventures In Networking EP01.
Welcome to the first live episode of Adventures in Networking. Networking has changed our lives, from friendships to relationships and building businesses, we have gained so much from building connections online and want to share our knowledge so that you can do the same.
Get ready to hear our networking adventures as we continue to build ONLE Networking, the business network for people who like people, where nobody gets excluded.
Kelly & James, founders of ONLE
Listen/subscribe on Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/when-networking-121s-go-wrong-adventures-in-networking/id1500905335?i=1000647146344
Listen/subscribe on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/3jACbqLjZNMEBG8s26qaMw?si=OOE9yFXlQpSjoKViLBXkcA
Show notes
Our first networking experiences:
In this episode, we discuss the barriers we had against networking when we first started. The constant nerves and imposter syndrome is hard to overcome at first and at times it felt as networking meetings may be a waste of time. But we trusted the process and we are so glad that we did. We even delve into the story of how the two of us met at a networking meeting - and well the rest is history!
Lindsey on navigating a male dominated networking space:
Plus we have the wonderful Lindsey Burden as our guest who tells us how she had to overcome a very male dominated space during her first experiences with networking. She speaks on how her strategy of getting to know the all of people in the room and then gravitating towards those who made her feel most welcomed - which is something that rings true for new members joining ONLE even today.
When networking 121s go wrong:
This episode’s trip to the Networking Repair Shop explored the ways to handle a 121 meeting that is quickly derailing. Whether it is someone intent on selling at you without listening or simply a conversation where your objectives don’t align, we’ve all been in a meeting that we wish we could dismiss with a wifi problem. Firstly, it may be difficult but you have to take on some of the responsibility for the miscommunication as there has inevitable been a mismatch between your expectations and the reality of the conversation.
Have a few key questions in your locker can help steer the conversation in a more favourable direction and prevent you from getting to the end of the call without finding out any useful information or providing them with a sense of who you are. Sometimes it takes a firm hand of stopping someone if you feel both of your time is being wasted. Plus we discuss the pitfall that many fall into on LinkedIn of blindly connecting with people you don’t know and have no intention of getting to know. This will kill your engagement.
Conclusion: Start all of your 121 calls with the right intention of getting to know the other person and have a few questions in your locker to help take control of the conversation and steer it in a way that will beneficial to both of you.