One of the best ways to learn about a new industry, company, or opportunity is to talk to someone else who has done it before you.
This, my friends, is called networking.
Networking doesn’t have to be creepy LinkedIn messages or boring events with pushy people.
One of the easiest ways to network is “the call.”
How to Land a Networking Call
Just ask.
No, but really. Ask.
Ok, Ok, I will add a little bit more color. Sheesh.
An easy method:
Is there someone you want to reach out to? Send them a message, email, or respond to their post.
Here’s the real trick: be precise in your reason and concise in your length.
Here is something I might say to someone:
“Hey Debrah, I saw your comment about employee stock ownership plans on a post the other day. I am looking at exploring using this vehicle to acquire a small business, could we schedule a 20-minute conversation to discuss this?”
You may notice:
- Short (39 words)
- Precise– I directly referred to why I wanted to connect and discuss.
- Gives Debrah a defined ask (20 minutes of her time)
- Presumably, she has an interest in talking to me about this topic and thus is more inclined to say “yes”
What to Do Before the Call
Congrats, you got a date. Now what?
Before the call, take 10 minutes to think about who you are talking to. Look them up on LinkedIn (or whatever social platform you connected with them on) and learn a bit about them. Come ready with some questions to ask.
If they are someone a few rungs up the ladder on you, I suggest taking even longer to prepare.
I also find it helpful to get in the right state of mind before I talk with someone. I don’t want to appear sluggish or dull. I want to be on my game and I have a simple hack to get there:
Yep, a kettlebell.
Before I get on a call, I get out of my desk chair (which, let’s be real, is where I spend most of my time these days) and knock out 20-30 swings.
My mood and state are instantly elevated.
Maybe that doesn’t work for you- but I definitely caution against just going straight from one call to another or one task to a networking call. Give yourself a brief chance to move around and get in the right mindset.
What to Do During the Call
Here is my favorite way to take a call:
I walk my dog.
Look, I’m usually staring at a screen most of the day and so is everyone else. So I slip on my AirPods, leash up the dog, and walk and talk at the same time. Everyone wins. (I 10/10 recommend some type of wireless earbuds for anyone who may do a lot of calls. You can get 2nd generation AirPods on Amazon for <$100 HERE)
FYI- this is Kismet, an Alaskan Husky. He is a retired sled dog (lead dog, NBD) that I adopted after a veteran-only dogsledding trip with Outward Bound. They have free trips for veterans you can check out here. It was hands down one of the best trips of my life.
Time check to kick off
When I start a call, I like to say something like:
“I see we are scheduled for 20 minutes- does that still work?”
If the person has more time, then we can set expectations early in the conversation that this call will go longer than expected. Great! Now I just have more time with them.
The 5-minute warning
If I schedule 20 minutes with someone, then I like to check in when we are under 5 minutes. Maybe they said earlier that they had to stop at 20 minutes, but now they want to keep going. It’s worth the check-in.
Next Steps
If the call permits, define the next steps. Maybe you need to research something more to come back to them with more questions or you said you would connect them with someone else. Wrap all that up before you hang up.
The final question
The best networkers I know end with this question:
“Who else do you think I should talk to?”
This is a powerful question. Maybe they mention someone you already know, in which case you just gained credibility. Or they know of a great person for you to speak with and can make the intro on your behalf, which is ideal.
What to Do After the Call
First- follow up on whatever you said you would do.
If you said you would connect them with someone, then do it.
If you said you would send them that article you read about the topic you discussed, do it.
Let them know you care about their time.
Next, take some brief notes. I have a spreadsheet with some basic info on who I talk with. Just name how we met, the last time we spoke, and what we connected over. I keep it short and sweet.
Conclusion
One of my mantras after running this site and podcast since 2019 is:
“The Vet Net is real and it is powerful.”
Veterans want to help other veterans and connect with people on their way out of the military. It’s a shared journey and those who are ahead of others in the process almost always want to reach behind.
But here’s the catch:
You have to do something.
Another mantra of this page is:
“No one owes you shit.”
The help is out there, so you have to go get it.