A Cynical Lawyer's Take on Business Networking

Our clients who are attorneys are a particularly pragmatic bunch. As you would expect, they have little time for the "soft and fluffy." So what's an attorney to do regarding networking for business development?

We found this gem from attorney and Above The Law contributing writer Brian Tannebaum on networking in this article, “The Practice: Enough with the Worthless Networking.” The tone of the article is quite snarky, but the key takeaways are spot on.

• There is an art and science of talking to people and developing relationships, otherwise known as networking. Learn it.
• There are no "networking tips and magic" that don't make you come off badly. Be yourself.
• Develop real authentic relationships.
• People other than (insert your profession here), network so... go hang out with some doctors, accountants, business owners, parents, orphans and whatever. Hang out with people who don't often hang out with people like you and find out how you can help them. For the benefits of this see above.
• Charities have networking events. You like charity? Go hang out at charitable events and contribute to something you value.
• Be a host.

That's the view from one attorney. Here is the rationale for why it makes sense. People like to do business with people they like. You are more likely to get a lot of business if you know a lot of people and you come across as both likable and competent. Some people use either their likability or competence to compensate for the lack of other.

Koliso works with its clients (yes, even attorney's) to help likeability and competence come to the forefront.

NOTE: Connect with Brian Tannenbaum's firm here. Thank you to one of our readers (Thanks Mark!) we're clarifying for the rest of our readers that Tannenbaum is NOT a client of Koliso. We enjoyed his article and hope you do as well.