Hey There,

The rule of networking is pretty simple. If you want to make a killer impression, you have to know exactly what to say when you meet someone new. Right? We spend hours and hours trying to figure out the best response to the question “Tell me more about yourself!” Also, you pay major attention to your elevator pitch making sure it doesn’t delve into a boring monologue rather than a dialogue.

“Good networking is all about building good relationships,” business coach Alisoun Mackenzie explains. “Selling at people just turns them away.”

Relax. This news isn’t a way to get you scrambling in order to rebrand yourself or your networking strategy. Instead, we have the Mackenzie’s 80-20 rule to save the day.

Simply put, when you are at any networking program, you should spend about 80% of your time paying attention to the individual you are trying to meet and 20% of your time pitching yourself. It’s that simple.

Statistics have shown that more than 70% of jobs are found through networking and the rest through word of mouth. The only problem remains that due to human tendencies, nerves, self-interest and the human tendency to talk about ourselves often get in the way while you are trying to network with others. With the 80-20 rule in mind, this problem should be a long gone memory.

At every networking opportunity, you should find a way to make it about the other person for the first 3-4 minutes and then the next minute about yourself.

Regards,

PushCV Content Team.