Thumbs Up For Networking On Twitter!

Do you know why networking on Twitter is my favorite way to meet new people?

Here are two reasons:

1. It’s easy to respond to someone without being considered weird.
2. It’s easy to find people who have the same interests you.

But….

Never in a million years did I think one tweet would lead to drinks with the co-founder of a multimillion-dollar company.

Dave Kerpen is the co-founder of Likeable Media and a New York Times best selling author. He wrote a great article titled “Summer Is the Time for Networking. Grab a Margarita.” I love sharing great articles with my network so I tweeted a link.

Dirk, someone I have never met before who I wasn’t even following on Twitter, responded.

Initially, I was just going to say, “I’m not going to argue with you.” (I love meeting people and going out for drinks). But instead, I decided to look at Dirk and Dave’s Twitter profiles to see where they were located. I realized that they were both located in NY, and it would be cool to meet them in person.  I know what you are probably thinking right now “Why the hell would Dave (a successful entrepreneur and author) and Dirk (Director of Communications) take time out of their busy schedules to have a margarita with you?” But what most people don’t realize is that I have nothing to lose by asking.  What the worse thing that can happen?

1. They both ignore my tweet and we go on living our lives.
2. They say, “I would love to but I am super busy.”

Yes, I would be a little disappointed and my ego would be a little bruised, but I would probably get over it it within 24 hours. Dirk answered and took it one step further by recommending a Tequilla bar called Agave. 

They now become part of the conversation.

Dave Kerpen not only wants to get margaritas, but he wants to turn it into a networking event.

Michele Weisman and Meg Riedinger who work at Likeable Media get involved and started working on promoting the event.  They did an awesome job as you can see below.

The event was a huge success and, more importantly, a lot of fun.

The Results of The Event

• I met Dave Kerpen and he is one of the nicest people I have ever met. He even gave everyone at the event some great networking tips. (I’ll share those with you another time as he agreed to do an interview with me. Be on the look out for that advice!)
• I met Dirk McCall who is the Director of Communication and marketing for GMHC.  Another super nice guy.

What I hope you take from this article

• Twitter is a great place to start conversations with people you don’t know and is very low risk.
• Always take a chance and reach out to people you don’t know. Don’t assume they won’t write you back.
• The key to networking is finding ways to keep the conversation going. (Click To Tweet)

When reaching out to someone you don’t know, let them decide not to write you back.  Don’t make the decision for them.

Action Steps: Start Networking on Twitter

Send someone you admire a tweet and get a conversation going. Take some advice from an ultimate networker.  It could be about

• An article they just wrote,
• An article that mentioned them in the news,
• Or simply just telling them you respect their work.

Do this until someone responds. The answer is always “no” if you don’t ask.

The key to networking is finding ways to keep the conversation going and taking things a step further.

Can You Please Do Two Very Simple Things If You Enjoyed This Article? 

• Leave a comment below. I really appreciate it when people reply with thoughtful comments. Honestly, it makes my day.
• Share this article with others on your social media networks. It’s one of the greatest compliments you can give me.

I have nothing to lose right?