How long do your networking calls/coffee chats last on average?

Curious to hear of other people's insight for more data points. I never explicitly aim for a certain amount of time, but calls average 15 min while coffee closer to 20 min. Anyone average more(closer to 30 min mark)? I always try to be cognizant of their time, but wondering for the person on the other side of the table what the ideal length of a conversation should be.

 

student's perspective: usually my phone chats last around 30 minutes but have been as short as 12-15 and as long as 1 hour. in-person coffees are about 45 minutes-1 hour. i do think it should be more natural as opposed to just abruptly ending a conversation when its going well. the banker should be cognizant of his time when it comes to work/deadlines and let you know that hes gotta bounce in a bit. the only time the student could be annoying in my opinion is if the banker has already stated that he's gotta go and you keep asking questions

other opinions?

 
Best Response

Always lead off by thanking them and saying something like "I know you're busy and I want to be respectful of your time, so please let me know if you need to go."

Acknowledging and demonstrating that you know they're doing you a favor is huge and will likely encourage them to chat a bit longer. One day you'll be in that position and you'll realize how little you want to take the 15-30 mins to chat on the phone or grab coffee with a stranger when you have tons of work to do, but hopefully you remember all those that took the time and helped you along the way...

If it's only five minutes, then they just don't have time or they're an asshole. But if you come off well prepared with thoughtful questions and knowledge of the industry, bank, location, past transactions, etc. (without being a show off) then most junior bankers will spend a few extra minutes even when they're getting crushed.

 

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