During the meeting

As I'm writing this chapter, I can't recall a time where a networking meeting has had a specific agenda beyond knowing why you're meeting. But there are a few essential steps you can do during a networking meeting to make sure the time spent is productive:

• Find out about the other person—what they do and what they're working on. The purpose of a synergy call is an exchange. I can't begin to tell you the number of times people call me or meet with me, tell me what their company does and never once ask what I do or the projects I'm working on. Those are usually the people who also don't let me get a word in edgewise so I can tell them. That's not an exchange. Make sure that everyone has a chance to share.

  Note

  Tip

  How much do you need to know?

  Whenever I'm preparing for a meeting, I do research about the other person and their organization. This raises the question—how much research or information is enough?

  In my opinion, I don't expect people to know everything about me...