I truly believe in the power of networking with the intent of building meaningful relationships. I don’t mean networking because I need something in the moment or networking in the hopes that I’ll get more than I give. I love networking for the sake of meeting interesting people, learning about and from them, and offering to help in any way I can.
The act of building meaningful relationships has countless benefits. I have had everything happen from amazing conversations and new friendships formed, to job offers and gifts as a result of my efforts to build relationships. But the real benefit comes in the giving. I have found that no matter what happens, if I continue to give and invest in others, good things always come back around to me.
I regularly have breakfast/lunch/coffee with friends, acquaintances, former colleagues, mentors, and also complete strangers. In doing so, I have learned that the most difficult part of networking is establishing the relationship. I believe you can build your own network of extremely meaningful relationships, and today I want to help you on your way.
As such, I thought it might be helpful to provide a template of two typical networking emails/letters that I use in the hopes that you might take the opportunity today to establish a new relationship.
If you met the email/letter recipient in person:
Mr. [Name],
It was such a pleasure to meet you at [event name] last week. I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation about [Enter relatable conversation topic here], and I would love to get together over breakfast or lunch to learn more about your experience in business and life.
I have found that I often learn best through the experiences of others, and based on our conversation I know I could certainly benefit from spending time with you.
Please let me know if you have any availability over the next four to six weeks. I am happy to meet at a time and location convenient to you, as my schedule is fairly flexible.
I look forward to hearing from you soon. Please let me know if I can help you in any way in the mean time!
All the best,
[Signature]
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If you have been referred or introduced to the email/letter recipient without having met personally:
Mrs. [Name],
In talking to [Name of referrer/introducer] last week, she recommended that I reach out to you. I have just started my own company [or enter other relatable experience here] and I understand that you are an established business owner yourself.
I have found that I often learn best through the experiences of others, and based on [Name of referrer/introducer]’s recommendation, I know I could certainly benefit from spending time with you.
Please let me know if you have any availability over the next four to six weeks. I am happy to meet at a time and location convenient to you, as my schedule is fairly flexible.
I look forward to hearing from you soon. Please let me know if I can help you in any way in the mean time!
All the best,
[Signature]
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Now, a couple of things to note about the above templates:
- They are short and to the point.
- They directly relate to the recipient.
- They are entirely non-threatening. I am not asking for anything other than time, and I have no intent to sell or use the recipient in any way.
- My desire to meet and learn is genuine.
If I had an agenda or intent to sell through networking, these templates would not be appropriate, and I would not suggest using them for such a purpose. I have little experience in selling, so be forewarned.
However, in establishing meaningful relationships based on a genuine desire to learn and connect, I have found these templates to be extremely useful.
When is the last time you connected with someone you didn’t know? What happened? How did you get introduced? What would you do differently next time? Let us know in the comments!