The Art of Meaningful Networking
Hi, I’m Yath! Thank you for being here. You are receiving this because you signed up to my weekly newsletter on self-growth and mindful productivity.
Hey friends,
I’ve recently been re-reading the book Oversubscribed by Daniel Priestley which is about how to get people really interested in the work we do, so as to make the demand far exceed the supply.
What I found most surprising was how the 7-11-4 Business Strategy mentioned in the book is oddly similar to the mindset I have when it comes to networking or reaching out to people who have influenced me. So, here’s what the principle is and how we can apply it in a networking context to form meaningful relationships.
Simply put, the 7-11-4 principle is the idea that to form a meaningful, genuine relationship with another person, you have to spend time with them, you have to have multiple interactions with them, and this has to take place in multiple locations. At each step of this process, you have to add more and more value. Sounds obvious right, well these are things some of us, including myself in the past, fail to realise.
In the book, Daniel refers to 7-hours of time spent across a minimum of 11 interactions and 4 locations. He says that at this point, the relationship evolves from being more than just acquaintances to something more in line with friends. He claims at this point you have a customer. Here’s an excerpt from the book:
The brain forms connections based on three key ingredients: Time – If you spend a lot of time with people, they start to bond with you. In particular, research into bonding behaviour suggests that spending more than seven hours with someone moves you beyond the “acquaintance” category and towards being a “friend.” Interactions – Having frequent exchanges of communication builds connection. In a research paper called “Zero Moments of Truth,” a Google thought leader discovered that when people had about 11 interactions with a brand, they were considerably more likely to buy from that brand. Locations – Seeing people in different places is another way stronger bonds are built. People who see each other only at work are not as bonded as people who also see each other in social settings or at sporting events. The magic number is four locations according to research into trust-building.
Well for us, we’re perhaps not trying to acquire a customer (maybe you are, in which case this should be great for your business). Instead, we’re hopefully trying to network in a genuine way and for me, this is the exact mantra I’ve kept. That’s to:
- Spend time with someone.
- Reach out to them multiple times.
- Make this happen in different places.
But, I try to do all of this with the single goal of adding value at each step.
I’ve been trying to grow an audience in this manner. I’m not entirely sure what the end goal is for me with it all, but I’m hopeful that I’ve been spending time with my audience aka you guys (in the form of articles and videos), reaching out to some of you (in the form of replies, emails, and Zoom calls), and taking these relationships further across multiple platforms (social media).
I’d love to hear from you — Is this an effective strategy for growing an audience or networking in a meaningful way? What else have I failed to appreciate?
Let’s keep growing! 🚀
Today, I’m sending this email to 841 super subscribers. 😎
If you’re new to the family, welcome aboard! 👋🏾
Gained value? Share it with one other friend who might like it. 💌
This Week’s Quote 🎯
“The pursuit of superiority is the mindset of taking a single step forward on one’s own feet, not the mind-set of competition of the sort that necessitates aiming to be greater than other people.” — Ichiro Kishimi & Fumitake Koga (The Courage To Be Disliked)
This Week’s Recommendation 🚀
Book 📚 — Oversubscribed by Daniel Priestley
Since I am now reading this book for the second time, I think that’s a fair reason for me to recommend this book. It’s awesome for two groups of people. Firstly, I’d read this if you’re building a startup or a business to appreciate the science behind building a popular service or product. Secondly, if you’re like me you can apply the lessons in this book to grow a meaningful audience or network effectively.
This Week on YouTube 🎥
How I slid into Ali Abdaal’s DMs and ended up working with him:
That’s all for this week — be safe, be happy!
Find me on YouTube, Twitter, Instagram& Goodreads.
Want to say thanks? You can now buy me a cheeky coffee!