Isn’t it funny how even though most of us are saving a ton of time not being in traffic, each time Friday rolls around, we wonder where the heck our week went? Remember the days when we managed to work in business lunches, coffees, and the occasional happy hour despite the traffic?
A few weeks ago, I talked about the phenomenon I’m calling “COVID time.” It actually is a psychological thing. Apparently, because our lives are pretty dull these days, we’re creating fewer memories, impacting our perception of time. You know that feeling you have when you’re on vacation and the days seem to zip past, but then when you get home and reflect on all of those memories, it’s hard to believe you were only gone for a week? Yep, not today. Our days all look pretty much alike, so one tends to blend into the next.
Unless we take action and do something memorable. Last week, a few of us took a virtual leadership training class together. For some crazy reason, we agreed to do it on a Friday afternoon. Hats off to our instructors for leading us through some pretty dry material beginning with “Zoom 101”, including “how to mute and turn your camera on and off”. I mean, seriously, it’s been six months already. What rock would anyone in business have to be living under not to have used Zoom by now? But I digress. During part of the training, we split off into Zoom breakout rooms, where we had a chance to let our hair down like the good old days. There was some crazy banter, and someone may or may not have started happy hour a little early. But we got the job done and ended up chatting until after 5. It was a friendly reminder of how enjoyable it is to socialize with our network and how business colleagues can become friends with whom we create memories.
This brings me to the 1-1 and “COVID time.” Before March of this year, if you wanted to expand your network, you went to networking events and asked the people you know for introductions. Some of those networking events took place super early in the morning, some required you to drive across town, and some took you away from your family in the evening. But you understood the importance of expanding your network to grow your business. Here are a few pre-COVID stats to back that up:
- According to a survey by Moo, 44% of U.S. business owners surveyed said that if they were to hand out 100 business cards, they would generate an average of $5,000 in additional annual revenue. Moo is a printing company, so clearly, this statistic made them very happy. They also found that 90% of owners reported that using their business cards made them more money.
- The two top places to network before COVID were bars and restaurants, followed by the gym.
- The Wall Street Journal also reported that we should make eye contact 60-70% of the time to form an emotional connection with someone while networking.
But before you get depressed about not hanging out in bars, restaurants, or gyms these days, keep in mind that in a Forbes networking survey before COVID, 40% of respondents said they network more online than in person.
I’m pretty sure none of you are shocked by these results, yet two things are standing in the way of our professional networking these days; working virtually, and our impression that we are busier than ever so can’t carve out the time. Let’s deal with each of these problems individually.
First is the challenge of working virtually. Even for those of us attempting to participate in virtual networking events, it’s far too easy to be distracted by email notifications and text messages. While it is considered rude to focus on your phone while someone is presenting during a networking meeting, we all seem ok with trying to multitask during a virtual meeting. But here’s the thing. Brain research in multiple studies has proven that we cannot multitask. What we’re actually doing is task switching. This means that for the seconds we’re reading our email, we’re not really paying attention to what someone on zoom was saying, and vice versa. But hey, as long as nobody notices, it’s not that bad, right? Well, here’s the thing. This brain research tells us that multitasking, or at least trying to, actually makes us 40% less efficient! If we do that all day, which is pretty likely these days as we’re spending so much time surrounded by our devices, then rather than working 8 hours a day, we’re working 11 hours and 12 minutes a day to get the same amount of work done! Looking at my day I’d say that seems about right.
Quitting multitasking cold-turkey may be a big ask, so let’s say you continue to multitask, but for two and a half hours, you turn off all of your notifications and focus on getting stuff done. That change alone would literally open up one extra hour each day. Now that you have freed up some time to network let’s make the most of your virtual 1-1 session.
First, although it was typical to have an hour-long networking session in the past, that was when we were lingering over coffee. These days an hour on video feels long, so scheduling a 30-minute session is sufficient, particularly if you already know the person and you’re just catching up. Next, figure out a good time in the day to schedule your 1-1. When I used to drive to networking meetings, I tried to schedule them on a day when I was driving around anyway, and find a venue close to my next appointment. The Zoom equivalent of that is to schedule your 1-1 close to, or backing up against other meetings. Nothing kills your day’s productivity more than small time increments between meetings where you can’t actually get anything done. Remember that Zoom allows you to set a different dial-in number on the same account, and you can change your settings so you have a waiting room. These are both good practices when you have back to back meetings, in case you need to take your first meeting right to the end of the time slot and the next person you’re meeting with tends to be an eager beaver and dial in early.
Now that you’re on your 1-1 Zoom, here are a few tips to make it more effective:
- Turn on your camera. I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t always do this. I’m past the age where I wake up camera ready, and some days I can’t quite get it together in time, but if you give it a shot, that eye contact will help your relationship.
- If you turn on your camera, use a virtual background or prop something up behind you, unless you’re working in a home office setting. Having a conversation with someone with a view of their bed behind them feels a little awkward. It will also save you the worry of wondering whether your husband will walk behind you in his underwear.
- When it comes to your wardrobe, no one expects you to wear a suit. Make a bit of an effort, but you don’t need to overdo it.
- If you have a 30-minute call, come prepared with some questions about the other person’s business. Take a look at their website first so you understand what they do. Take a few minutes before the call to think about possible connections you might have for them and target making at least one professional connection or providing one referral for each 1.
- Personally, I like to start by asking the other person questions about their business. I’m always curious about how they got started and why they’re passionate about what they do. I try to understand the person behind the company. Sometimes we find immediate parallels. The conversation just naturally flows back and forth. Other times, it feels a bit more staged with them spending 15 minutes talking about their business and me spending 15 minutes talking about mine. But I know that if we make that initial connection, it will begin to feel more natural over time, and it won’t be the last time we meet.
- Which brings me to my next point. Once and done is not enough. You won’t form a relationship the first time you have a conversation with someone. And you won’t learn everything about how you can help one another out of the gate. I’m still learning things about some people I’ve been networking with for years. Sometimes they’re adding something to their business that might be just the opportunity to send them a meaningful referral.
- Remember that networking is still about building relationships, even while we’re virtual. Business never really happened during large networking meetings and events. Those were just the venues to make the connections. Real business always happened during the 1-1s that came from those connections, and the resulting relationships. So even when you’re virtual, and perhaps even more so, be human. We all have background noise at home, some of us more than others. Barking dogs and screaming kids have become part of so many Zoom calls these days. Just relax, acknowledge it, and move on.
According to a Hubspot survey, seven in ten millennials say that going to the office isn’t necessary. And 84% of people prefer remote meetings over face-to-face. COVID has had such an impact on our society that it will likely cause lasting cultural change. So it’s time to get our virtual 1-1 game on!
Let me leave you with a quote from Herminia Ibarra, professor at the London Business School. “Networking is a lot like nutrition and fitness: we know what to do, the hard part is making it a top priority.”
Your mission for this week is to block out two and a half hours for one day in your schedule and make the most of that hour you just saved. Schedule a 30 minute one to one and take the other 30 minutes and do something that you enjoy. Take a walk around the block between meetings, zone out for a few minutes and listen to music, hug your family, or take a nap. Your newfound efficiency just earned you a personal reward, and hopefully a connection that can help grow your business.