Hate it or love it, there’s no denying the fact that networking your real estate career is critical. What is networking? A hundred people might define the term a hundred different ways but here’s one way to look at it. Networking are the sorts of “unofficial” things we do to make connections that might help us out somewhere down the line. Call it schmoozing if you like. In any event, if you’re not a natural, here are seven ways to get better at it.

1. Don’t wait until you’re desperate to keep in touch with people who might be willing to do you a professional favor when asked. Drop an email or make a phone call even when you DON’T need anything. This concept is networking gold.
2. Use airplanes, supermarkets, sporting events, weddings, festivals, bookstores, and cocktail parties as an opportunity to talk to people you don’t know.
3. Learn to sound sincerely interested when you ask someone, “What do you do?” There’s no telling where it might lead.
4. Learn to be a professional listener. Too many people are poised to respond and forget to pay attention to what the other person is saying. Practice asking a question and then allow time for the response to play out. Don’t interrupt and don’t be like a hyperactive chihuahua waiting to chime in with your own two cents worth. Being quiet is worth its weight in gold.
5. Practice until you “got game.” Develop a presentation that works for you, whether it be flashy or subtle, and hone it until it becomes natural. Like most things, practice makes perfect, and networking is not an exception.
6. Keep some sort of personal informational handout on you at all times. Business cards are, of course, the tried and true standby. Don’t be afraid to pass them onto strangers liberally.
7. Join every club and association in your field you can think of, then don’t be a stranger. Unless you show up at events and actually interact, it’s just a waste of money.

A final bit of advice when it comes to career networking is to follow up on every lead, no matter how minor it might seem at the time. You truly never know what secrets lurk behind a person’s bland exterior. That nebbish guy with the limp handshake at the party might be the next Donald Trump.

The AIPIS Team

Flickr / heather0714