“I don’t really use LinkedIn or Twitter.”
“I don’t go to meetups.”
“I don’t really have time to meet people.”
These are just a few of the phrases I hear all the time from people I come across — whether they’re in tech or otherwise. And it shocks me.
I have long lost count of how many business connections, opportunities, jobs, professional acquaintances, referrals and just plain friends I’ve made through both social and real-life networking. To this day, I maintain the philosophy of taking every meeting. Sometimes they’re in person and sometimes they’re over Skype. Sometimes they’re just email conversations. But the connection is made.
Even if we don’t talk again for a year or if we never talk again, we’ve both gained something. And you never know where that little connection may lead. So take that call. Return that email. Schedule that coffee and accept that invitation. You won’t regret it.
[Jeff]