I was handing out business cards at every Detroit event for years and it got me nowhere

A few months ago at a meetup in Midtown, I watched a guy just talk to people for an hour without giving out a single card. He got three solid follow-up coffee meetings. That was my lightbulb moment. I was treating networking like a numbers game, aiming to give out 50 cards a night. He was focused on having maybe two or three real conversations. I switched my goal from 'distribute cards' to 'learn one person's actual business challenge'. My calendar filled up way faster. Anyone else make a simple switch that actually worked?

2 comments

2 Comments

gibson.mark10h ago

Yeah, the "learn one person's actual business challenge" thing is so true. I stopped asking "what do you do" and started asking "what's been the biggest headache at work this month." People actually remember you.

terry_barnes9h agoMost Upvoted

I read a blog post last year that called this the "problem question" instead of the "job question". It cuts through the small talk right away. People are so used to giving their job title and moving on, but asking about a real issue makes the conversation stick. That blogger said it turns a forgettable chat into a chance to actually help someone, even if it's just by listening.