Avoid This One Question When You're Networking | Ep #828

Key Points

• Avoid asking "Is there anything I can do to help you?" during networking, as it puts the burden on the other person to explain their needs, which they rarely have time for.
• Instead, proactively research the person to understand their goals, challenges, and pain points using available resources like earnings calls, interviews, newsletters, or social media.
• Brainstorm and execute a specific action that adds value without requiring their time, such as leaving a review, making an introduction, sharing an event, or creating a slide deck.
• Follow up with a note explaining what you did, emphasizing that it's optional and low-pressure, which demonstrates initiative and builds stronger relationships.
• Busy people appreciate action over asks, so proactive value-adding accelerates connections and makes a lasting impression.

Summary

In this episode of the Dream Job System podcast, host Austin Bellsack addresses a common networking mistake: asking the question "Is there anything I can do to help you?" While this question seems well-intentioned and aligned with his philosophy of adding value to others, Austin explains why it often backfires. The problem lies in the fact that the person you're speaking with—whether a business owner, manager, or thought leader—has numerous challenges, goals, and tasks. However, for them to accept your help, they would need to invest significant time explaining the context, goals, and details of their situation, and potentially even train you on what's needed. This is a luxury most busy professionals don't have. Moreover, if the help you provide isn't exactly what they need, it creates additional work for them to fix it. As a result, the typical response is a polite decline, closing the window for deeper connection and value creation.

Austin offers a more effective alternative: proactive research and action. Instead of asking for their needs, you should thoroughly research the person beforehand. For contacts at target companies, this could involve listening to earnings calls, reading interviews with executives, or talking to customers. For entrepreneurs or thought leaders, you might sign up for their newsletter, follow product launches, or attend their events. The goal is to identify their pain points, goals, and interests. Then, brainstorm specific ways to add value without requiring their time. Examples include creating a slide deck with data and ideas, making an introduction to a beneficial connection, leaving a positive review for their podcast or book, sharing their event registration link with your network, or offering to connect them with a potential sponsor or speaker.

The key is to take action first and then communicate it in a low-pressure way. Austin suggests a follow-up message like: "Hey, I know you're super busy, so I went ahead and did this valuable thing for you. If it's useful, great; if not, no worries at all." This approach has two major benefits. First, if the action isn't valuable, the other person hasn't wasted any time, but they still appreciate your proactive effort. Second, if it is valuable, you've added genuine value without any time investment from them, which can be impressive and memorable. Austin emphasizes that busy people appreciate action, not asks. By focusing on proactive, thoughtful contributions, you can accelerate relationship-building and create stronger, more meaningful connections in a shorter time. He concludes by encouraging listeners to implement this strategy in their networking and reminding them to leave a review for the podcast to help others find this advice.