Are you as tired of this line as I am? I'm tired of hearing it, I'm tired of asking it. I think it's time, as a networking community, that we try and move beyond this overused question.

I asked my friend, Steve Harper, to post his insights about this very topic on his blog: The Ripple Effect. He was kind enough to oblige and wrote: "Dippy Do & Networking TOO - COME ON ORIGINALITY....WHERE HAVE YOU GONE?" Thank you Steve for taking the time to do this for me.

Steve is also the auther of the book The Ripple Effect which is available to NetworkInAustin.com members at a discount on our book list. I highly recommend Steve's book. It'll give you some good insights into the relationship aspect of networking, and will show you that what comes around goes around even in business.

So... What do you do?

The real problem with this line is that it does nothing to move us in the direction of a personal connection with the person we've just met. Really all it does is opens the door for a canned and over used elevator speech. Yuck!

What we're really trying to do is to open the door into this persons world. Who are they? Why are they here? What is the meaning of life? Getting to something personal is what you're really trying to uncover. This is easier to do if you do as Steve suggests and don't take yourself or networking so seriously.

Now I'm not suggesting that you avoid the topic of business completely. It's still important and that's probably why you're there at a networking event in the first place. What I'm suggesting is that you move beyond and outside of business to learn something REAL about your new friend. You don't need to be pushy and overzealous. Just let the conversation develop naturally. I think you'll find that you're able to develop better rapport and more trust by taking this approach. Keep this up and more business won't be far behind.

Happy networking!

Scott Ingram
NetworkInAustin.com