Before you “ditch” this week. Let’s see what the next one brings!

Hey! Andres here,

Welcome to the networking desk! You know the drill by now, I bring in my list of events that I see are relevant and with great potential for networking.

Have a story to share? Or a win?

🌟 Don’t forget to share your networking wins (or business wins and tips) to be featured next time!

For example: My friend, Liz, was featured last week and I got to share her “Overcoming Self Doubt” strategy worksheet. Which you can get here:

Just like that! I’d love to share more from you guys here!

Here’s what we got this week:

• Ditch the coffee, my how-to guide on upgrading 1:1 meetings.

• Interesting events from the community

Alright, let’s do this.

“Lean forward moment” of the week - ☕ Ditch the Coffee

You know that I have hammered on the fact that networking is about creating lasting and meaningful friendships, rather than acting like business cards are a trading card game…

But let's be honest: if your 1:1 follow-ups all look the same, they feel the same, and we start forgetting them. How many 'coffees' have you had where you walk away and immediately forget the person's name?

Well, maybe not that bad, but they do get repetitive.

The default coffee meeting creates a predictable environment.

You feel pressure to pitch, and you miss the opportunity to see how the other person operates outside their business persona.

Let me tell you about a time when I realized how changing the environment truly changes relationships.

I was once at a gala event, I met a guy, he told me about his company, what he did, but we talked about life too. When it came time to leave, we wanted to set something up for the following week. He said:

“Well, next week is busy, unless you want to join me at my cycling class”

We both laugh and the following week I was in that cycling class with him as a guest lol.

I will never forget that, and it brought us closer together.

The goal of the 1:1 is to generate a shared, memorable experience that gives you a glimpse into their character. If your follow-up meeting is instantly forgettable, you failed the test.

Have you had any 1:1s like this? Share it with me please, I want more ideas, and invite me please haha!

💻 Shameless plug

Hey! In case you didn’t know, I make websites and help non-profits to stay top of mind to create more revenue.

OR JUST RESPOND TO THIS EMAIL!

🗓️ Now, the events…

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Thank you for reading! Quick thing before I go:

1. If you are new or would like to read older posts, check out this page. There is a backlog of previous weeks of “The Networking Desk”

2. Know someone who would benefit from this newsletter? Be sure to share it with them! 📩 (just copy the link or forward this email) I will keep putting out great newsletters for them and for you. That’s a promise.

See you next week.

- Andres Inciarte