And not just on social networks.
A short episode for you all today! Lets talk about some tips for networking! And what better enviornment to talk about it than the Midwest Digital Marketing Conference!
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The Marketing Gateway is a weekly podcast hosted by Sean in St. Louis (Sean J. Jordan, President of https://www.researchplan.com/) and featuring guests from the St. Louis area and beyond.
Every week, Sean shares insights about the world of marketing and speaks to people who are working in various marketing roles – creative agencies, brand managers, MarCom professionals, PR pros, business owners, academics, entrepreneurs, researchers and more!
The goal of The Marketing Gateway is simple – we want to build a connection between all of our marketing mentors in the Midwest and learn from one another! And the best way to learn is to listen.
And the next best way is to share!
For more episodes: https://www.themarketinggateway.com
Copyright 2025, The Research & Planning Group, Inc.
TRANSCRIPT:
So I’m sitting in our marketing confessional booth today at the Midwest Digital Marketing Conference and I’ve been asking people to stop by and confess their own marketing mistakes and anxieties and ideas and concerns.
And you know what? I have one that I’m willing to share. I’m not that great at networking, and I have to flip a switch inside to make myself even want to do it.
That might surprise you, because on this show, I probably seem like someone who really enjoys getting out there and meeting people and talking to them about marketing.
But the truth is, I have to work myself up to that. I’m what you call an extraverted introvert – I have to turn it on if I want to interact with people I don’t know.
Like a lot of people, when I walk into a room full of strangers, I’m very prone to stand in a corner and just sort of scan the room and not talk to anyone.
And then when it’s time for the speaker or the event or whatever, I sit down and listen and take notes and maybe ask questions, and then when it’s over, I get up and leave.
But you know what makes me interact with other people?
When I see someone I know. I’ll walk up to them and say hello and then hang onto them for dear life because suddenly, the very uncomfortable act of being in a room full of people I don’t know gets easier.
Yet even that is not a great tendency.
Think about it – if I only talk to people I know, and they only talk to people they know, then I’m not really networking when I’m going to these events.
I’m just finding a clique to fit into. And what I’m ignoring is that there are probably a nontrivial number of people who are also there, maybe at their first networking even in awhile, and because they don’t know anybody and they’re uncomfortable, they’re not really ready to speak to strangers either.
Unless, that is, someone breaks the ice and talks to them. Most people don’t mind having someone come up and introduce themselves and start talking to them – that takes all the pressure off the interaction and can even make things fun.
Who doesn’t love an extrovert to come talk to them and make them feel comfortable and welcome?
Who doesn’t appreciate a person who can make them feel like someone actually noticed them?
Who doesn’t value a person who can help them to make connections with others in the room?
Can I let you in on a little secret?
Those people who are willing to take on that role of being extroverts are more often than not people like me who don’t come by that naturally.
They choose to turn it on, and they challenge themselves to meet new people and make new friends.
And they don’t do it because they have to, at least not most of the time; they do it because they want to, because they know something about marketing that all of us ought to realize:
It’s not about those presentations or activities or panel discussions we all agree to get together to see.
It’s about the human connections formed in the process.
And more often than we might realize, those connections are what make or break our careers.
So I’m going to give you some secrets of networking today, kind of following my script, recorded live and unedited here at the Midwest Digital Marketing Conference!
I’m Sean in St. Louis, and this is the Marketing Gateway.
When I was in my 30s, there was this group sponsored by the accounting firm UHY called The Next Executives that offered free breakfast seminars for people under 40.
I went every month I could and tried to learn whatever I could pick up.
Some of these sessions were not so great –
one time the speaker was a multilevel marketing guy I’d previously seen at a trade show who’d almost talked me into spending $2,000 on some very ridiculously expensive kitchen pots before my wife helped break the spell of his sales pitch and got me out of that jam.
I found out later the pots had a horrible reputation for not only being way overpriced, but also really easy to ruin.
And half the things he said in his sales pitch were half-truths anyhow.
So you can bet I wasn’t too happy to hear from him again.
And he didn’t even remember me.
But one day, we had this lady come in and tell us the secrets of networking. I wish I remember who it was, because I’d love to give her credit.
But I will say this – her presentation really changed my perspective on what it even means to be good at networking, because she debunked one thing right away:
To be good at networking, she said, you don’t have to be a natural extrovert.
It helps, but the truth is that natural extroverts also tend to come on a little too strong sometimes and make introverted people uncomfortable because they’re not sensitive to what it might feel like to be uncomfortable in a room of strangers.
What you do need to be, she explained, is friendly.
And that’s much easier for most people because most of us are already friendly.
We smile. We say hello.
We put on our best manners and treat each other with a polite regard for personal boundaries and space.
We try to make introductions feel natural and not at all creepy or uncomfortable, and we try to make small talk.
But we often mistake being friendly for being timid about why we’re at a networking event, and in truth, we’re all there for the same reason – to meet people who can help our career!
And so she offered these tips.
The first is to put on a name tag.
If one’s not provided, you can bring some or have a nice one made for you.
Name tags are absolute magic because they help you get over the awkwardness of knowing how to greet someone, especially if you’re not sure if you’ve met before.
And name tags also signal that you want people to talk to you because you’re sharing that most personal piece of information – your name!
The next tip she offered is to watch for people who are standing by themselves or who look new and to excuse yourself from familiar folks and walk up to those new people and simply pretend to be the host.
“Welcome,” you can say. “I’m not sure if we’ve met, but I’m Sean.”
And then you can direct them to the food or the name tags or invite them over to your conversation or whatever you need to do.
If they ask if you’re the host, you can say, “No, I’m just helping out!” and that’s a good enough answer for most anyone.
I’ve used this tip many times and it works. It allows me to do what I do best – be helpful – and to help people who are new or nervous or feeling insecure or introverted to feel a little less so. And now they know someone in the room – me! – and that can help them to let their guard down a bit and introduce themself to other people.
Try it sometime. It works even better if you’re wearing a name tag.
The third tip she offered is to actually tell people why you’re at the event. Be intentional. “I’m here because I work in marketing and I’m hoping to make some new connections” or “I’m looking for a job and thought it’d be good to pick up some new skills” or “My friend’s speaking today and I’m here to support them.”
Believe it or not, being candid about why you attended a networking event makes you more memorable to the people you meet and it also encourages them to open up about why they attended.
Maybe they’re also looking for a job.
Maybe they’re also hoping to make connections.
Maybe they also know the speaker!
This helps you to have real, authentic relationships with others and prevents you from falling into the trap of just exchanging pleasantries but never really taking the time to get to know one another.
The fourth tip she offered is to write down what you talked about – in your notebook, on their business card, in your phone, or whatever! – and then when you do meet again, or follow up to set up a talk, or connect on LinkedIn, or whatever else you do, you can make it about the authentic conversation you had and not make the person feel like you’re just viewing them as a lead you want something from.
I can offer a fifth tip of my own as well – introduce that person to others in the room, especially if they’re interested in something you know someone else can provide.
I cannot emphasize enough how being a connector can really benefit you in the long run because it will help you to not only have a lot of friends you’ll begin recognizing at these events and who can help you to feel more comfortable and relaxed, but you can also be a real resource people will seek out when they need help or advice.
In other words, you won’t have to go to them – they’ll come to you! And that makes networking with casual acquaintances and colleagues so much easier on everyone.
Can I tell you one more thing? Don’t give up if you go to a networking event and have a bad time. It happens to all of us.
I’ve certainly had my fair share of events where I never was able to make a real connection with anyone there or where it was just the wrong crowd for the type of connections I was hoping to make.
All you can do is try, try again until you find that group or set of colleagues who are the right fit for you.
For me, that’s been the Saint Louis chapter of the American Marketing Association as of late, but I’ve been in other groups with other colleagues and I’ve almost always found networking to be a good use of my time when I open myself up to following the tips I just shared.
Do I walk about with contracts in hand or new job offers or guaranteed referrals for my company?
No way.
But what I do walk away with is an ever-growing network of people I now know who are going to be more likely to help me out if I have a need they can help me with… and who may also remember to think of me when an opportunity that’s good for me comes to their attention!
I’m Sean in St. Louis, and this has been The Marketing Gateway. See ya next time!
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