How to Be a Power Connector: The 5+50+100 Rule for Turning Your Business Network into Profits by Judy Robinett

Author:Judy Robinett
Language: eng
Format: mobi, pdf
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education
Published: 2014-05-15T16:00:00+00:00

Step 3: Engage—Deepen the Connection and Set the Stage for More

I believe that every time people talk together in a social and mutually gratifying way, the world becomes a better place.

—DANIEL MENAKER, A GOOD TALK

When Anu Bharwadj was pursuing her MBA at the Stockholm School of Economics, she was invited to a private dinner at the residence of the dean, and she was seated next to Par Jorgen Parsson, the founder and partner of NorthZone Ventures, a prominent technology investment partnership in Europe. “At the time, I was in the process of starting a nonprofit foundation that was focused on global entrepreneurship,” Anu remembers. “As a result of the relationship that grew from one dinner conversation, NorthZone became one of our anchor sponsors. Then, when I started a company focused on helping private equity and venture capital funds access capital in various parts of Asia, the Middle East, and the Nordics, NorthZone was one of my first clients.”

Your goal in power connecting is to be able to turn even a simple dinner conversation into a lasting strategic relationship. In this step you are starting to explore each other’s values, seeing what you have in common and the potential for mutual benefit and regard. If you approach this step with curiosity and the intent to provide value, it can be extremely enjoyable for both you and the other party.

The following are the keys to successful engagement.

Find something in common: a person, location, experience, or point of view. When marketing and branding consultant Dorie Clark interviewed Robert Cialdini, he gave her some excellent advice: The way to get someone to like you immediately is to find a commonality. Almost any commonality, no matter how trivial—a shared alma mater, an interest in running, a love of dogs—will get the ball rolling. Common ground gives you a place from which to build the foundation of a relationship. The place you’re meeting, the person who introduced you, a profession, the kind of cocktail you like—finding something in common creates a degree of similarity between you and the other person, and it inevitably makes you more likable. I can strike up great conversations with people on airplanes or in airports simply because we’re both in transit.

Your share can come into play the instant you find something in common. This is a great chance to talk about what you’re passionate about while still keeping the focus on the other person. Share a little about your common experience, ask the other person a question, and then let him or her talk. You will find out much more and create a much stronger relationship if you share a little and listen a lot about your commonalities.

Even if you feel you have nothing in common with someone—maybe you’re just getting started in business and the connection you’d like to make is with the most successful entrepreneur in your field—you can be sure that somewhere along the line you will have at least one experience in common, and that’s the human experience.

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