January 21, 2009
In late January I was invited to a holiday networking event by a VP of the title company I use for my commercial real estate transactions and minutes of foreclosure, Guaranty National Title Company. I wasn't sure if I could squeeze the event in or not, but I reasoned it was important for me to go. I realized beforehand that I probably would not know anyone there. Notwithstanding, with as much emphasis I'm putting on networking nowadays, it only stands that I would have been a hypocrite for not attending.
The event was held at a new bar on Wells Street called Bull and Bear. It was actually the night before the bar officially opened to the public. It was a pretty cool atmosphere inside, with a ton of TV's for sporting events. Needless to say, I think I'll be back there at some point in the near future.
Since there was not one person present who I knew beforehand, this was an exercise in the introduction at a networking event. First things first, I ordered a drink, then started making the rounds. I introduced myself to a number of people, the first of which were a couple of younger guys who worked for developers and builders. I'm interested in the business side of development, so I tried to use this as a chance to gain some practical knowledge. Unfortunately, it shortly became clear that these guys were not actually there to gain any contacts, rather just to take advantage of the drink special.
While most people attend networking events to actually network, this is not always the case. Particularly as a lawyer, I'm a strong advocate that most everyone at a networking event is worthwhile to talk to. You never know when anyone can turn into a client, referral or otherwise. However, there is one exception to this philosophy, and that's when the person is not interested in networking period. This person is not looking for any type of ongoing relationship or even ongoing communication. So in this instance, it's important to recognize that your time and effort is best spent elsewhere. That said, I quickly moved on.
There were plenty of other people I met in the next hour or so. While I failed to meet anyone who I feel gave me an immediate benefit from the event, like I stated above, almost everyone you meet has potential benefit. Plus, this event gave me the opportunity to address the one situation where, in my view, it is important to quickly end the conversation and move on.
In late January I was invited to a holiday networking event by a VP of the title company I use for my commercial real estate transactions and minutes of foreclosure, Guaranty National Title Company. I wasn't sure if I could squeeze the event in or not, but I reasoned it was important for me to go. I realized beforehand that I probably would not know anyone there. Notwithstanding, with as much emphasis I'm putting on networking nowadays, it only stands that I would have been a hypocrite for not attending.
The event was held at a new bar on Wells Street called Bull and Bear. It was actually the night before the bar officially opened to the public. It was a pretty cool atmosphere inside, with a ton of TV's for sporting events. Needless to say, I think I'll be back there at some point in the near future.
Since there was not one person present who I knew beforehand, this was an exercise in the introduction at a networking event. First things first, I ordered a drink, then started making the rounds. I introduced myself to a number of people, the first of which were a couple of younger guys who worked for developers and builders. I'm interested in the business side of development, so I tried to use this as a chance to gain some practical knowledge. Unfortunately, it shortly became clear that these guys were not actually there to gain any contacts, rather just to take advantage of the drink special.
While most people attend networking events to actually network, this is not always the case. Particularly as a lawyer, I'm a strong advocate that most everyone at a networking event is worthwhile to talk to. You never know when anyone can turn into a client, referral or otherwise. However, there is one exception to this philosophy, and that's when the person is not interested in networking period. This person is not looking for any type of ongoing relationship or even ongoing communication. So in this instance, it's important to recognize that your time and effort is best spent elsewhere. That said, I quickly moved on.
There were plenty of other people I met in the next hour or so. While I failed to meet anyone who I feel gave me an immediate benefit from the event, like I stated above, almost everyone you meet has potential benefit. Plus, this event gave me the opportunity to address the one situation where, in my view, it is important to quickly end the conversation and move on.
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