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šŸ“š Hi from TechWalk: Is your outreach on Linkedin turning people off?

If your networking efforts have hit a plateau, your communication style might be to blame

Author

Christine Farrier Rosemin
February 12, 2024

Iā€™m going to start reading books about community and networking and passing along the best ideas to you. Have a recommendation for a must-read? Please shoot me a DM. Iā€™m kicking things off with The Little Book of Networking: How to Grow Your Career One Conversation at a Time (free with Kindle Unlimited) by Kurt Schmidt, Founder of the Foundry, a software design agency and the host of Schmidtlist: The Entrepreneurship Podcast.

This past week I received a connection request that readā€¦

ā€¦and I immediately deleted it. Does anyone believe this person was actually ā€œintriguedā€ by my Corporate Branding experience? I can almost guarantee that had I accepted this invitation, the next message would have been a sales pitch and request for a meeting. Now maybe this person could have been a great addition to my professional network, but weā€™ll never know because the initial outreach didnā€™t offer even a whiff of authenticity. So far Iā€™ve only read the first chapter of The Little Book of Networking, but I think it could help our connection request sender (and maybe you) quite a bit. But first, letā€™s chat about the 2.14 TechWalk.

February 14th TechWalk

One important note. We are meeting in a new location and will be walking in Madison Park. So please be sure to sign up via the Eventbrite registration link to receive important event updates and details. Ok, now on to the fun stuff. This week we are joined by a group of three fascinating Co-Hosts which includes amongst their varied expertise, a community leader, a founder, and an investor. If you are interested in chatting specifically with any of our VIP guests, please reach out and connect with them before the walk - maybe using the tips that follow below:

Top Tips for Networking Outreach Communication

From: The Little Book of Networking, by Kurt Schmidt

  1.  Be direct. Get to the point quickly and clearly. Donā€™t force people to guess the reason for your outreach or to make assumptions. Err on the side of authenticity and vulnerability versus jargon and ambiguity.

  2. Be patient. But also view your outreach from their shoes. Everyone is busy, but folks in a position to help you are likely even busier. No response is a response.

  3. Networking is a marathon, not a sprint. Find a way to add value, even if itā€™s only a thoughtful comment on their content. The bottom line is folks post because they want engagement.

  4. Keep your cool. Donā€™t take silence or rejection personally. Your emergency is not their emergency. Try to focus your energy and efforts on the doors that open versus the ones that remain shut.

Has this list made you think differently about your outreach? Share a communication makeover and we will feature it in next weekā€™s newsletter.

Upcoming TechWalk Schedule

Weā€™re Launching the TechWalk Ambassador Program

Weā€™re inviting Tech and SaaS enthusiasts to apply to join our Q2 ā€˜24 TechWalk Ambassador program to support the growth and engagement of our growing community. If you enjoy meeting new people, connecting your connections, figuring out how to help people grow in their careers, AND walks in the park (obviously), this could be the opportunity for you! Ambassadors can expect to join about 4 - 6 walks during the program duration (April 1st to June 28th) and dedicate about 40 - 60 hours to program activities (group events, training, coaching, mentorship, etc) throughout the program. In return, benefits to the Ambassadors will include deeper interactions with the TechWalk community, growth of their own personal networks, program team-building activities, swag, professional training, and much more. The application deadline is March 8th - so get started today.

TechWalk Schedule Continuedā€¦

Congrats on reaching the end of this newsletter! If you would like information on sponsoring our next edition, being a featured member, or joining a future walk as a Co-Host, simply contact us at [email protected]

Happy Walking!

Christine Farrier Rosemin

Founder