The Introvert’s Edge to Networking

Work the Room. Leverage Social Media. Develop Powerful Connections

HarperCollins Leadership, 2021

15 min read

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Networking events needn’t be torture for introverts, who, with practice, can learn to leverage a competitive advantage.

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The norms of networking are changing, and extroverts no longer boast the competitive advantage they once wielded when working a room. According to business consultant and self-professed introvert Matthew Pollard, writing with author Derek Lewis, people have grown weary of extroverts’ slick schmoozing tactics. Today, individuals seek to build genuine connections. Pollard and Lewis explain how you can leverage your unique strengths as an introvert, while strategically navigating a room to make high-value connections that propel your career forward.

Summary

Traditional extrovert-dominated networking is outmoded and ineffective.

If you’re an introvert, networking events may conjure feelings of dread rather than excitement. Yet networking is often an unavoidable necessity. Perhaps, for example, you’re job hunting, or you want to launch a new business. Extroverts tend to dominate networking events, and, as an introvert, engaging in conversations that don’t help you achieve your goal can feel like time-wasting torture. Despite what many assume, though, introverts actually have a competitive advantage over extroverts at networking events; introverts simply need to harness their unique strengths rather than sticking to traditional extrovert-oriented strategies.

Networking norms mirror the behaviors of traveling salesmen during the Industrial Revolution. Most people tend to engage in “transactional marketing,” which means they try to sell as much as possible, without bothering to make a meaningful or lasting connection – much like a salesperson who relies on charm to make sales going door to door. Many of those who reject this calculated approach engage in “aimless networking”; that is...

About the Authors

Matthew Pollard helps businesses achieve growth and transformation as the Rapid Growth Guy and the founder of Small Business Festival. Derek Lewis is the author of The Business Book Bible, as well as a business ghostwriter. His clients include the International Monetary Fund and Disney.

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