TIN #013 - How To Stop Doubting Yourself
A tip to get past your networking resistance, and a couple other surprises...
Good Morning 👋 - Greg here.
Happy Saturday morning to everyone putting their networking skills to work this week.
Today, I want to share three things with you:
Tip to help you get past networking doubt,
Tool to help you connect more quickly on LinkedIn,
Video to reinforce what you’ve already learned here.
Let me know in the comments if you have questions about networking you’d like me to answer.
Today’s issue takes about 4 minutes to read.
How To Deal With Networking Doubt
My tip this week is focused on improving your networking mindset.
Fear is something that holds us back in networking.
As introverts, many of us are afraid we’ll say something stupid or we think we need to have a smooth elevator speech or introductory email in order to get someone to respond to us.
This fear of failing in a social situation keeps of from trying to network.
My advice is to do something our parents and grandparents have been telling us to do for centuries: Put yourself in the other person's shoes.
When you’re ruminating over what to say in a note to a former co-worker, or what to say when you have an in-person conversation, or how to ask for help, think about what you would want if the roles were reversed:
If you were the person who was receiving a note from a co-worker, what would the note need to say in order for you to respond.
If you were the person who had been asked to coffee by an old acquaintance, how would you want the conversation to go?
If you were the person who was going to be asked a favor by another person, how would you want them to ask?
The answers to these questions are guides to what you should do.
Too often, we overthink these things. We make molehills into mountains. We get scared we're going to screw it up.
But when we think about what would make us comfortable as the person on the other side of the conversation, the answers appear.
Use This Tool To Connect More Quickly On LinkedIn
I’m often connecting with people who have similar backgrounds on LinkedIn.
For example, I work in Total Reward/Compensation/Benefits. I’m looking to add people with backgrounds similar to mine to my LinkedIn network.
When I find one of these people, I send them a Connection Request and always add a note. Here’s an example of what I write to someone who works in Compensation:
“As someone who does comp for a living, I'm always looking to expand my network on LinkedIn with compensation professionals like you. Would love to connect.”
However, it can get tedious to write the same thing over and over when I am connecting with multiple people.
That’s why I use a browser plug-in/extension called Briskine.
It’s a text expander and can be used with emails and most web browsers.
I keep pre-written Linked Connection Request Notes in my Briskine account.
When I click the Add a Note button on a connection request, the Briskine icon appears in the field where I would write the note.
I click on it, and select the appropriate pre-written text.
Of course, I can customize it by putting in the person's name and adding something to personalize the note, but most of the text is already written so it's a time saver when I’m connecting.
Could I keep a file of text in a notepad and Copy/Paste? Yes, but I work across multiple computers and having access to these notes in my browser is handy.
Also, I tend to send Connection Requests in one sitting.
When I find someone to connect with, Linked shows me similar people on the right side of the screen. I look at those profiles and decide if I want to connect or not.
A word of caution: I’ve heard LinkedIn can suspend or lock your account if you look at more than 100 profiles per day. The algorithm assumes you’re a bot or are using automation. It’s trying to stop spam from hitting its users.
You're not likely to hit this limit if you’re connecting organically, but I did want to make you aware.
I learned about Briskine from Andy Foote who is a LinkedIn coach with a sharp wit.
If you aren't following him, you should be.
What My Ted Talk Would Look Like
I’ll probably never give a Ted Talk.
But if I did, this might be what it would look like:
I don't know David, but I have read his book Friend of a Friend.
The message of the talk and the book aligns with what I tell everyone about networking: start with who you know.
David’s talk shares stories about UFC, interesting dinner parties, and how to network by re-connecting with people you already know.
There is so much bad information in the world about networking.
Most of it is in-actionable and unrealistic, especially for introverts.
When I come across other people who are spreading a message about networking that's similar to mine, it makes me feel like I'm not the only voice in the wilderness.
I hope you enjoy the video and, if nothing else, at least you see there is someone else out there who believes you can grow your network by re-connecting with people you've lost touch with.
Have a great week!
Don't forget to add your networking questions in the comments!