Strategic Networking & Social Interaction Cheat Codes

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“I have a party every year primarily for my investors and contacts. They come to my house on the coast, my wife and I host a nice dinner, and we spend the evening by the beach talking and socializing. It’s a great event, don’t get me wrong, but I hit a lot of birds with one stone, and people seem to have a good time.”

This was a man who worked in real estate development, and he used a single event to consolidate some of his social touchpoints. You’ll find a number of people do this kind of thing at various levels — dinners or invitations to sporting events or other things — and it’s a great way of spanning out while also being pretty efficient and targeted.

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They get unlimited asks, but they have to be very selective about their time — as you should be too. The higher you get, the more demands and requests you’ll have on your time. These range from professional to personal, and there will always be things progressing outside of your work that will require attention from you too — like a spouse, a family, or even aging parents.

Life hits you on all sides with time demands, so social elements become far more deliberate, and the juice has to be worth the squeeze. Socialization largely becomes purposeful — it’s rarely “just for fun.”

What I’ve noticed is that how to network effectively, as well as some basic tools of how to actually engage people socially, can be a bit lacking in some who are newer to these spaces - sometimes for seasoned people as well who’ve just been “heads down” for a long time. How do you approach it? How do you talk to people? What’s the strategy? 

This is a brief cheat sheet on how to approach social interactions. Don’t be tempted to skip this read because you think you’re solid in your seat — doing networking right pushes growth no matter your level. Let’s target your thinking and refine your approach for maximum benefit in a busy world.