That’s the advice from a New York Times article. Networking is harder it seems. Look it up here.
Generally I agree with the main point: networking calls for sales skills. But I wouldn’t encourage anyone to say something like, “I listen well, I can create trust relations with a wide variety of people, I’m capable of translating hard information clearly.” That’s one tip recommended by an interviewee for this article.
If you’re going to give an elevator speech at all (and it’s not always appropriate with everyone you meet), focus on accomplishments. For example, “I tripled the size of my territory in three years.” Or “I am a project manager. I manage teams of thirty people from different departments. In six projects we came in on time and under budget.”
