NETWORKING SOUNDS LIKE IT’S FOR COMPUTERS, NOT HUMANS.

NO ONE LIKES BORING, OBLIGATORY BUSINESS TALK. BUT WE LIGHT UP WHEN WE’RE ASKED ABOUT WHAT INSPIRES US.

When we use inspiration to get to know and connect with a potential customer, boring business talk and scripted answers transform into fireworks of enthusiastic stories.

You know that moment when you’ve gone from boring, business talk to tapping into what inspires someone. There is a clear, noticeable moment when you see someone shift from surface conversation to something more personal and meaningful, enlivening with inspiration. Faces noticeably light up. Excitement and energy flow freely between the words.

Often times, when we discover a spark of what inspires someone, it’s accidental. But we can bring intention to learning about what inspires someone with better questions. Whether accidental or intentional, we experience the same relationship-building and human connection benefits.

If networking feels obligatory, it will feel obligatory to the person with whom your speaking. If you look at networking with curiosity, to learn about other people and discover how their life experience could add to yours, you can make networking fun. You can make networking a scavenger hunt of the most interesting aspects about another person that wouldn’t easily be revealed through obligatory business talk.

We all know that people do business with people they like, which means you have to get to know one another on more than a surface level. Authenticity builds trust, and inspiration creates the perfect opportunity to share authenticity in context. It’s obvious that there’s interest in connecting with someone professional, so others expect you to ask questions. But they likely don’t expect the kind of questions they’ll hear when you’re more interested in the essence of who they are and why they do what they do, instead of their title and how long they’ve been at the company.

Here are some questions you can ask to stop the mundane meet-and-greet, get them talking, and share the kind of authenticity that they’ll expect from working with you.

And you’ll really hit the jackpot when you discover that you share inspiration! Be prepared, that conversation could take you well past your lunch hour!