Building 2-Way Relationships At Networking Events

This week two clients shared how they feel awkward or “icky” ASKING for something when they are at networking events.

They are brilliant at building rapport and active listening.

They’ve been practicing asking lots of questions and being authentic.

They’re now pretty confident sharing a sentence or two about what they do and who they help.

They’re great at suggesting value-add connections for the other person or events they can attend.

But then as the conversation naturally winds down, they come away and realise that it was all pretty much one-way.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I 100% agree that networking is all about building relationships. But let’s remember that a relationship is a 2-way thing.

Being honest, sometimes, we do hope that the other person asks us “…and how can I help you or who would be a good introduction for you?” And yet, depending on the circles you network in, this can rarely happen.

So, we need to be comfortable with asking.

What do I mean by “asking?”?

Well, let me ask you – what would you find useful?

Would you like to arrange a coffee with them to explore ways you could work together?

Would you like their suggestions on some other events that would be of interest to you?

Would you like them to think about introductions they could make or connections to ideal referral partners?

And of course, there is not always an ask with every person you meet! But we need to be okay with simply saying “I’ve really enjoyed our conversation today – would you like to meet next week for a coffee to see how we may be able to collaborate?” This is a pretty natural ask.

So don’t be shy! Remember that building relationships is a 2-way process. The other person will most likely be very happy to help. But you won’t know unless you ask them.

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