Natural Networking: Business Development On Your Terms

What is natural networking, and how can you use it to your advantage?

If you don’t have a book of business, it’s quite likely that you’re dispensable. It’s doubly true in the current legal employment crash. There are other ways to be indispensable — bill incredible amounts of hours, develop mastery over an esoteric area of law, have invaluable personal connections — but generally speaking, you need a book of business. If you’re starting off right out of law school (or just stepping out on your own), that will mean networking, and lots of it.

For many people networking is a dirty word. They don’t like the images and scenarios that the word conjures up. A recent working paper from Harvard Business School explores the negative associations that come with networking, and why it makes people feel “dirty,” entitled The Contaminating Effects of Building Instrumental Ties: How Networking Can Make Us Feel Dirty.

An excerpt…

Many social ties emerge spontaneously from the simple fact of working in the same organization or hanging out in the same social circle. Others are the result of purposeful and intentional behaviors: through instrumental networking, people create and maintain connections that they think will provide them with opportunities and other benefits.

In this paper, we examined the psychological consequences of engaging in networking. We identified two important dimensions on which networking behaviors differ: content and approach. We argued that, unlike personal networking in pursuit of friendship or emotional support and unlike social ties that emerge spontaneously, instrumental networking in pursuit of professional goals can impinge on an individual’s moral purity and thus make him feel dirty.

Consistent with our theorizing, we found that professional and instrumental networking produce greater feelings of dirtiness as compared to personal and spontaneous networking. Using data from a large North American law firm, we also found that feeling dirty translates into poor work performance, as it decreases the frequency of instrumental networking.

How Do I Network?

The problem most new lawyers have is that they have absolutely zero idea of how to network or engage in business development. When they think of networking, they think of networking-focused schmoozing events. Many people don’t enjoy those types of events, so they write off networking as not being for them. But networking-focused events are only one small part of networking. If you’re the type of person who enjoys them, by all means go! But if you don’t, you’re probably wasting your time being there. There are other avenues available to you to work on business development.

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The best thing to do is to engage in what I call “natural networking.” That is, engage with people at places, events, and functions you are already interested in or passionate about. If you’re a devoted sci-fi geek, find the local sci-fi club. Join up, become an active member. Everyone will naturally ask what you do. Tell them you’re a lawyer, but don’t pitch them on services. Just be helpful. Offer to talk about licensing issues for merchandise or copyright issues with fan fiction. Over time, you’ll become a natural part of the community. When you’re a member of a community, you will almost always be the first person that community turns to when they have legal or business issues. Beyond that, be active in your friends’ communities. Offer support and help to people.

A personal example: Earlier this year, a friend was having a panel on book publishing. She was having a number of authors come out and speak about their experiences on the process. I went because I knew the organizer of the panel and I like to support my friends. I sat in the front row because I’m that type of guy. Towards the end of the panel, the panelists shifted to Q&A from the audience. During this time, legal topics started to come up. The panelists were unsure of how to answer. My friend, the organizer, comes up to the mic, and says, “Keith is a lawyer, I think he has experience on those issues.”

So I stand up and address the question. I end up answering 2-3 more questions as the Q&A goes on. After it was done, dozens of people from the audience came up to me asking questions, wanting my card. Not anticipating the need for cards, I ran out after the first few people. Everyone ended up just writing my information down on notebooks or putting it into their mobile. Some of them have gone on to become clients. Natural networking at its best. I went to be supportive of someone else, and it in turn benefited me.

Have Fun With It

Many people don’t feel as though they are naturally outgoing enough to engage with people at networking events. But it’s far easier to discuss and engage with people if you are at an event or within a community you are already interested in. When you’re having fun, it doesn’t feel like networking. So find those places and communities. It could be anything! Wine, classic cars, comics, music, technology, dancing, there is no end to the groups and activities available to you if you live in a large enough urban environment. Actively seek out things you are already interested in and focus your energy on helping those organizations and communities, without expecting anything in return. Even if you never get a client out of it, at least you’re getting out and doing something you enjoy.

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But I think you’ll be surprised at the results.


Keith Lee practices law at Hamer Law Group, LLC in Birmingham, Alabama. He writes about professional development, the law, the universe, and everything at Associate’s Mind. He is also the author of The Marble and The Sculptor: From Law School To Law Practice (affiliate link), published by the ABA. You can reach him at keith.lee@hamerlawgroup.com or on Twitter at @associatesmind.