The Atlanta Lawyer December/January 2020 | Page 24

Not Your Father’s Networking Reality Check: Let's change the way you network in 2020. F or many of us, the new year means new business goals. We jump in with a renewed energy for networking. Our calendars quickly fill up with all the events we think we need to go to in order to be successful. Making new connections and meeting referral resources is part of the job, and it is usually fun—but it also has drawbacks. Spending hours in Atlanta traffic to get across town for an event is stressful. After dealing with client problems all day, we often don’t have the energy to be our best selves at evening events. The emphasis on consuming alcohol and fried appetizers can leave us feeling physically bad as well. Luckily, healthier alternative networking options are becoming more popular, allowing you to connect with people while maintaining your health and sanity. Say Sayonara to the Coffee House Meeting for coffee is great—once you have gotten through coordinating a location, driving there, actually getting your coffee, and finally sitting down to talk to your contact. By the time you’ve gone through all that, you feel obligated to drag out what could 24 December/January 2020 MAX RUTHENBERG- MARSHALL Porchlight [email protected] be a thirty minute coffee into an hour just to show the person you really are interested in them and all that effort was worth it. You can streamline this process with virtual coffees. For those who are unfamiliar with the concept, it is exactly what it sounds like—you meet online instead of in person (and the coffee part is optional). The logistics are simple. You use a video chat platform such as Zoom to connect with the other person. You can link the video chat software to an automatic booking page, such as ScheduleOnce, so the video call is set up automatically when someone books an available time on your calendar. You may feel some resistance first, believing video calls don’t feel as personal, but that quickly goes away once you experience how convenient virtual coffee is. As a bonus, I have found that I am much more tuned in to what the other person is saying when I’m talking to them for a set 20-30 minutes rather than having taken three hours out of my day to meet up with them. Since you are already on your computer, it is easy to take notes for later reference. You and everyone you know is busy. Do yourselves all a favor and start meeting virtually. Get (or Just Stay) Online It is 2020, so you are already doing everything online anyway. Logically, you should network where you already are. More and more legal and professional communities are popping up online. ListServes and LinkedIn and Facebook groups provide virtual gathering spaces. These communities can serve multiple purposes, from having other professionals to bounce ideas off of to helping connect people when they need a referral. One of the best parts is you can participate in them at your convenience. So if you have a few minutes between meetings, you can hop online and connect with people rather than having to give up your entire evening to attend an event. The keys to being successful with online networking are to be active in the groups and follow up. Just like with in-person networking, you will get out of it what you put into it. Connections and referrals will not magically come to you just because