FYI: When I used to go to FinTwit networking events I didn’t always enjoy meeting new people. I know that sounds harsh, but I recently realized that it wasn’t the people that were the issue. It was the way I was trying to build rapport.
Most networking conversations start with the same dreaded question: “What do you do?” You then go on about your role and they do theirs and, unless you guys have some great attraction towards each others’ work, the conversation gets boring rather quickly. Yes, you can ask about where they are from, where they went to school, etc., but unless you get lucky and find some common ground, it isn’t all that fun.
Fortunately, I chanced upon a different approach that made my conversations at financial networking events much more engaging. After meeting someone I like to ask:
So, how do you invest your own money?
It might seem extreme to ask this to someone you just met, but I’ve found that most people are very open about this. In fact, not only were people willing to tell me their allocation percentages, one person even logged into their 401(k) on their phone and showed me their portfolio, balance and all. I was blown away by the response.
Regards,
Ted
https://ofdollarsanddata.com/eating-your-own-cooking/?utm_source=Daily+AR&utm_campaign=f00ed7651f-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c08a59015d-f00ed7651f-144127017
