Forego The Networking Pitch
Listen up, kids. Everyone and their dog will tell you to come to a networking event with a rehearsed, smile-pasted pitch. But let’s drop some brutal truth here: nobody at these events is genuinely listening to the 5,000th pitch they’ve heard that night.
Your rehearsed elevator spiel? It’s about as original as a white T-shirt. It’s invisible in a sea of monotonous self-promotion. Tailoring to your audience? Please. You think you’re the only one adjusting your pitch based on someone’s LinkedIn profile?
Here’s a radical thought: Stop pitching. That’s right. Throw out that carefully crafted monologue. Instead, be genuinely curious. Ask questions. Listen more than you talk. And for heaven’s sake, stop using the term “value proposition” unless you’re charging by the hour.
Let’s be real: Networking events are less about what you’re saying and more about how you’re connecting. People remember how you made them feel, not how well you recited your resume. Do you know what’s really memorable? Being one of the few people in the room who isn’t desperately hurling a sales pitch at anyone who’ll listen.
So, next time? Go in cold. Talk about a Netflix show you’re binging or the quirky thing your dog does. Be a human being, not a walking LinkedIn profile. Because, let’s face it, in a world of incessant pitches, genuine conversation is the real unicorn.
