I’m a kid of the 80s and no matter how much time goes by, whenever I sit down to the practice of nurturing my networking, that pesky 80s AT&T jingle pops in my head… “Reach out, reach out and touch someone”. You’re welcome, this earworm will be with you for the rest of the day and now, likely every time you sit down to the practice of nurturing your network.
I use the word practice deliberately, in the same way it’s used in yoga. Like yoga, networking is an exercise that takes intention, focus, and you get better at it the more you do it. And like yoga, if you haven’t done it in a while, or ever, getting started can be challenging especially if you are networking with people you don’t know.
I think there’s a bit of a misnomer that networking is with people you don’t know, whereas a huge part of networking is connecting with people you are already connected with, the practice of nurturing your network.
Our yogi of networking, Alyce Blum, promotes the 75% connection rule… spending 75% of your networking time reaching out to those you are already connected with. We tend to take that part of our network for granted. Think of how awesome it is when someone you worked with in the past reaches out and says they are thinking about you. Reconnecting with people in your network and continuing to nurture those connections is also great “practice” for networking with those you don’t know. Great warm up activity!
In our “If Networking Is So Important How Come No One Has Taught Me How” workshop demonstrate the power of the 75% connection rule by having workshop participants text someone who has had an impact on their career. The responses are swift and warm fuzzies abound.
With 2024 a few short weeks out, set aside time and practice reaching out to people who have had an impact on your year, your success and your life.
If you're looking for what to say consider these guidelines.
Keep it upbeat...“Hey wanted to reach out and thank you for making working together fun and easy even when the work we were doing was challenging”
Reflect upon the BEST part of your connection...“Hi, reaching out to say thank you, the BEST part of our partnership is…”
Be Human... "I know we've lost touch since our last project which is why I am reaching out to say thank you for making 2023 a great year.”
Don’t wait to get your practice started, “Reach out, Reach out and touch someone.”
If you’d like to learn more about our Networking workshop, program series, and coaching, reach out…