Tips for Networking Beyond LinkedIn

Has anyone ever told you about the unspoken rules of networking… Or did you find out the hard way, like I did? For those Founders just starting their own business, or scaling it up to meet even greater needs and levels of success - let me save you the pain and bestow a bit of practical advice. Networking can be overwhelming. The barrier to entry on these types of events can often be higher than they should be. This is something that I’d like to see changed about the industry. There are so many great ideas out there waiting to be capitalized upon! 🚀 From one founder to another, here are the main things you should direct your focus on when participating in a networking event: 👨 Physical - Dress well, maintain your appearance. - Smile, maintain eye contact and posture, and lock down a solid handshake. - Don’t let your body tense up, it gives you an unapproachable demeanor.  🧠 Mental - Set an objective for the event. Clients, conversation, knowledge? Go in with a goal. - Stay curious - ask questions. Always seek insight from your peers. - Provide value. Search for ways to provide value to others before asking for something in return. - Embrace what makes you authentic. Confidence in yourself acts as a magnet to those around you. 📚 Knowledge - Stay up to date on industry trends for conversation. - Connect with people from various industries and backgrounds. Building a diverse network will bring fresh perspectives and opportunities. I was in the nightlife industry at one point! - Nail down a concise and compelling elevator pitch. Value prop and confidence.  🤝 Connections - Attend relevant events. Build rapport with frequents, and the rest will fall into place. - A good business card is critical. - Use tech for connection purposes - I have a phone background that has a scannable QR code that redirects to my Linkedin. - Follow up with connections promptly. Send personalized messages to solidify their memory of you.  💬 Conversation - Ask more than you tell, until the appropriate time comes. - When joining a group conversation, observe the dynamics before jumping in. - Use body language to signal your interest in joining the conversation. - Develop conversation starters that go beyond business. - Don’t overdo active listening. Make sure you like & save this list for later reference! #founder #startup #entrepreneur #networking #tips

Early-stage founders: Heading to a conference but don't want to shell out money for a booth? Here are some tips to make the most of your time.👇 Before the conference 👨💼 Find people: Find attendees on the LinkedIn event page and filter by your ICP. You can also search LinkedIn for mentions of the conference name and manually scan posts for folks in your ICP. 🥳 Find events: Google the conference name + "happy hour" for events to attend after the conference. Register for the events your ICP is likely to attend. 📆 Set up meetings: Send a personalized note offering to grab coffee at specific times. Don't sell. Just offer to trade notes and be helpful. Ask for their phone # so you can coordinate a good spot to meet during the conference, and give yourself enough time between meetings to take notes and find the next meeting spot. During the conference 🤝 Make the most of your meetings: Do your thing. Figure out how to be helpful. Spend 5 minutes after the meeting to take notes to follow up with. 🎤 Find relevant talks: Try to break up some meetings with relevant talks. Have a question for a speaker or panelist? After the talk is over, go up and find them. They're almost always willing to chat for a few minutes and offer their expertise. 🏕️ Hang out where your ICP is: Sell to founders? Try to find a founder's area and work from there. Find which talks your ICP is likely to attend. Hang around before and after and just say hi to people. Everyone has varying degrees of social anxiety. Acknowledge it and crush it with positivity. You have nothing to lose. 👀 Study your competition: Do they have a booth? Watch it for a bit. How do they attract attention? Walk around and see which booths have the most activity. Ask their teams what’s working and what’s not. Figure out a strategy for your booth next year in a way that’s differentiated and authentic to you and your brand. After the conference 📓 Use your notes and follow up: Turn your meetings into deals, intros, whatever. Capitalize on the hard work you put in and use the momentum. 🎙️Broacast your experience: Share your learnings with your team while your thoughts are fresh. Reflecting and writing will give you a sense of the actual ROI you got from the conference. ♻️ Rinse and repeat: Do more of what worked and less of what didn't next time around. Founder life can get lonely. Conferences, if planned well, can be helpful for both your mindstate and your business.

Networking, let's get this straight, isn't a game of how many business cards you can collect; it's about sowing seeds for relationships that bear fruit over time. It's not about who you know, it's about who wants to know you. Here's how you do it: 1️⃣ Dive into the virtual world. Attend webinars, online forums, or any digital gathering where industry leaders are speaking. Don't just be another name in the attendee list. Ask questions, engage in the chat, follow up with speakers or participants afterward. Make your presence felt. 2️⃣ But don't stop there. Physical presence still counts. Hit up local industry meetups, conferences, or seminars. When you're there, don't just hover around the snack table. Introduce yourself, start conversations, listen more than you talk. Be genuinely interested in what others are doing and find common ground. 3️⃣ Let's talk about informational interviews – a grossly underutilized tool. Reach out to professionals, not for jobs, but for insights. Ask them about their journey, the challenges they face, the trends they see. This is not about you asking for favors; it's about understanding their world. And here's the kicker: people love talking about themselves. Let them. ➡ ➡ ➡ But here's the crucial part: offer value in every interaction. Don't be a leech, sucking information and connections without giving anything back. Share your insights, offer your help, maybe connect them with someone in your network. It's a two-way street. And remember, the time to build your network isn't when you're desperate for a job. It's now. When you're not asking for a job, but for advice, connections, and insights. By the time you need your network, it should already be there, strong and waiting. Networking is a long game, play it wisely. #networking #linkedin #linkedinconnection #linkedinhacks

I wouldn’t call myself a networking expert. BUT I’ve landed my last 8 clients because of “networking.” Here’s what’s worked for me 👇 A disclaimer before I start: “successful” networking hinges on being as invested in other people‘s success as you’re in your own. It’s NEVER a matter of quantity (“send 20 connection requests a day!”), and always a matter of connecting with like-minded people. 1. Be genuinely nice and helpful — proactively. Someone landed a role at a company you’ve admired or a product you’ve thought is cool? Reach out and congratulate them. Go beyond LinkedIn’s recommend one-liner and add a personal note. Someone’s struggling with a task you could do in your sleep? For example, setting up Monday automations. Send them a voice note with instructions or screenshots. 2. Show up on both sides — people who you can help and people who can help you. It’s not “networking” if you’re only reaching out to people who have something to offer you. Connect with others in your industry, people who have your role in a completely different industry, and people who want to be where you are. 3. Listen before you talk. Listen actively, intently, and empathetically. Seek to understand before you comment or ask for something. Always always ask “how can I support you in your goals?” Give people an opportunity to tell you — unfiltered — what they need from you. 3 “Don’ts” which you…just don’t do pls. It’s gross. 1. Don’t bait and switch: it’s the worst. People don’t hate cold pitches as much as they hate this. With a cold pitch, people might ghost you. But bait and switch and they’ll mentally block you forever. 2. Don’t get emotional in business conversations. I once recieved a follow up where the person went on and on about how they’d stayed up at night waiting for my reply. It was an unsolicited cold pitch. I don’t even remember seeing the email, I was probably too busy. They went on to call me some rather rude names and I … blocked them. Point is, they burnt a bridge for no reason. 3. Don’t fake it till you make it. Don’t exaggerate your credentials. Even if the conversation is successful, you’ll never be able to form a real relationship. It’ll always be superficial. What do you think?

When it comes to building your network, it's important to diversify your methods for the best results. One way to do this is to use multiple social media platforms. For me, X (formerly Twitter) and LinkedIn are my main two platforms, but I've also been working on building my following on Facebook and Instagram. With my new podcast, the Phillip Wylie Show, I've started publishing video versions on YouTube and Spotify. This has helped me reach a new demographic, and Instagram has been a great tool for building connections as well. But it's not just about social media. To build connections with others outside of LinkedIn, I've attended North Texas ISSA and CISO XC events. Speaking at events like CISO XC and FutureCon has also been helpful. And if you're only attending meetings like ISSA, ISC2, and CISO, I recommend checking out local DEFCON Groups, OWASP Chapters, or hacker meetings like the Dallas Hackers Association. Diversifying your methods for building connections is key. What are some ways you've expanded your network beyond LinkedIn? #networking #professionaldevelopment #cybersecurity