Dec 13, 2023
Larry Kaufman is the author of “The Networking
Connecting Giving (NCG) Factor: A Formula for Building
Life-Changing Relationships from College to Retirement.” He is a
connector, giver, and rainmaker who lives his life to help others
succeed. He is also a senior-level Sales & Operations Leader and
has been a globally-published speaker and trainer on LinkedIn for
more than a decade. Larry shares his insights about the nature of
networking, which is to know people rather than purely focusing on
business. He highlights the significance of approaching
interactions with a genuine curiosity about others and actively
seeking ways to offer assistance. Additionally, Larry shares his
perspective on networking events, noting their continued relevance
as long as there is a clear goal or purpose for attendance.
https://bit.ly/tlp-387
Key Takeaways:
[03:40] Larry shares his personal views on what
networking should look like. It should be focused more on getting
to know more and sharing stories with people. In that way, you are
also selling what you are capable of doing and what you have, but
not focusing solely on exchanging cards to get the other people’s
attention. He emphasizes that networking is more about building
relationships and not purely marketing.
[06:51] He shares some tips on how to build rapport
with other people such as asking personal questions, just as long
as they are comfortable enough to share. You can also ask them
things that are not usual to business terms, like what do they
value or want, or something related to their outside business
world. He also reiterated that by asking them personal questions,
you are able to get them out from what they really feel because we
don’t have a solid idea on what they are going through.
[13:02] Larry advises young professionals on how they
should conquer their fears in a networking industry, on what they
can give, or how they should do it effectively. Young professionals
do not have to do it alone, so they should not be afraid to ask for
help, especially at the onset of their career. In regard to asking
for help, Larry also added that it should not only be done at the
start of their career but should be up until retirement which he
also included it in his book.
[20:07] He mentions a practical strategy for beginners
in networking, which is that talking to one person in a month is
not a bad start. He also reiterated that this also works at any
level of one’s career. They can do this by checking people that
surround them and have to add one person to their network at a time
until you manage to increase it little by little. Larry also
mentions that for today’s generation, there are a lot of tools that
can be used to communicate with other people such as zooms,
FaceTime, and any other social media platforms.
[29:29] Larry also shares how to be indispensable and
the importance of this to a company. Being indispensable can be by
showing other people that you are a shoulder they can lean on. It
also means you are there to support them all the way and by getting
to know them, you can easily understand their needs and can provide
them what you can give.
[39:20] Closing Quote: Remember, “No one has ever
become poor by giving”.- Anne Frank
Quotable Quotes:
“ If you lead with yourself, you will live with
yourself.”
“Don't call me to fix your tire, but I can call
someone to fix your tire. It may not stay on, but I would
respond.”
“The more I learn about people personally and
professionally, I find ways to be helpful.”
“People must not be too quick to talk about
themselves, but nothing to do with the other person,”
“Giving comes back in many ways, it may be never from
that person, but it comes back in other ways.”
“You don't have to be a connector and a giver alone,
you can ask”
“You can be a mentor, you can volunteer your time to a
charity, you don’t have to play the world’s perceptions”
“Meeting one new person that we could add to our
network is already powerful”
This is the book mentioned in our discussion with
Larry:
Resources Mentioned: