Networking - How Often/What to Talk About
How often should I be in contact? I'm a recent grad and was thinking thing to meet every 3-6 months is a good time frame for staying in contact. The issue is I don't have a lot to talk about to make it more frequent. Take a developer I know, I obviously want to ask them about the market/projects they have and keep me in their mind. I was thinking about emailing them to grab coffee and ask them about an office project they finished/thoughts on We Work and the overall market/effect they have on it signing full building leases, why they didn't look at that for their deal, etc. But that's all I have, I don't have more to talk about if I do say every 3 months. Any ideas?
Just make sure that you're talking about more than just shop, it should be a nice little break in their day to speak with you, not a pop quiz. If you know the guy is an avid fisher then ask him if he's gearing up for Tarpon fishing down in the keys, etc. I think it goes without saying that you need to know your shit and to make sure you're current on the market before you meet up. As far as time/duration, I think 3-6 months is very fair, but if you've got nothing you want to talk about then just wait a while. Build rapport first and plant the seed in their mind that you wouldn't be the worst person in the world to work with.
I agree, so if i bring up office (both have some office buildings) should I know $/sqft rent, how the market is for Class A/B office space. How leasing is going? What should I know going into the meeting in terms of developers in big markets (NYC, Chicago) and office space if that's what my ?s pertain to.
I'm not in real estate so frankly you know better than I do what is important and relevant in the market. I think a generally accepted standard is you should know larger and more relevant deals within the market he's in, any deals his firm has participated in lately, have a good idea of short/mid/long term interest rates, and a personalized market outlook for how you believe those same time periods will look in your market. Anything beyond that will be specific to his and your particular markets.
If you have an accomplishment to share that is great as well. For example, volunteer work, joined a board, starting a real estate investment club. Great conversation starters. Shows you are active!
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I think email / calls work too if you are just trying to make sure they are keeping you in mind for open positions (assuming that is what you are looking for given you are a recent grad). I generally try to meet with people once / year, but I don't hesitate to reach out if something comes up.
Forgot to add that I completely agree with the above. Most of the time it's just a casual catching up coffee / beer and work is rarely discussed.
So I don't know him that well and right now I'm working in investment sales so still time to decide what I want to do. I agree though, thanks.
As others have said build a rapport first. The last thing you want to do is act like you are knowledgeable in something you aren't and sound like an idiot. These guys know why you are reaching out, and its refreshing not to have to talk shop 24/7
Sports is always an easy convo starter. If you are meeting someone look at their linkedin and see where they went to school. For instance if you are meeting a University of Texas alum talk about their big game with LSU this weekend, and how you think the season will go. From there transition in to other things, where are you from etc. The convo will naturally flow to you and your goals. Don't force it.
I usually like to follow the below progression but usually I will let the convo flow wherever it goes while having a few key things I want to talk about:
Intro-School/Sports-Background-Day to day- What they enjoy- What they hate- My goals - Advice they may have for me- Asking them to connect me to others.
The more senior the person you're meeting the more you will want to know about them.
You'll have to experiment and find what works for you. As far as how how often I will let others chime in on that. That is something I am still figuring out myself.
So the people I've had in mind I've met once and talked to the other on the phone. I think I need to get down what to talk about and take it off work. One guy likes to run so I brought that up on the phone but it took 3-4 months to even get a 5 minute phone call with him and when I asked for coffee he was hesitant but said yes. We'll see, I just asked if he's available again and it;s been 4 months since the first time I asked/talked on the phone.
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