Everyone dislikes a self-promoter. That’s the first rule of networking: It’s not about yourself. People can see that from a mile away and instantly discredit and dislike you.

The secret to successful networking is promoting others.

1.    It shows you’re a good listener. You listened to the details of what someone was saying enough to connect their goals/issues with another person/organization/website etc. that could help them.

2.    It automatically sets you up as a connected, in-the-know, person. People want to talk and work with people they feel are a knowledge center- People with the right connections. 

3.    People will feel at ease around you. We have all become experts at avoiding sales pitches and as soon as we hear one, that is a sign to politely move away from a conversation. But if we can make a conversation about the other person, and new ideas to solve their issues, that’s a different story. We end up being someone they want to talk about without ever pushing what we actually do.

4.    It will naturally increase your likeability factor.  Likeability is the #1 reason people will want to do business with you. There’s a reason we like people like Will Smith, Paula Deen, and Tom Hanks- they’re LIKEABLE!

Photo credit: ChuckP http://www.flickr.com/photos/chuckp/252924532/

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