Master Connections with WIIFT framework

Supercharge your networking skills

Hey AI Explorer,

Welcome back to the latest edition of your Friday newsletter “Solve with AI”.

“You are six degrees of separation from anyone”.

This is a bold claim, but we live in the world of social media and LinkedIn, and it has been proven true on many occasions.

I can relate to the statement above. Although I don’t claim that I took a selfie with Tom Cruise, I have leveraged my networks in my personal and professional lives.

Just consider the US job market. For an average job on Indeed or LinkedIn the recruiters get 100s if not 1000+ resumes. How do you expect the recruiters or hiring manager to sniff through that many resumes to find the list of interview candidates?

What about AI?

Yes. AI is playing an important role in the recruiting process and the adoption is increasing but I would not rely 100% on AI to do a great job yet.

---

This newsletter is sponsored by Nord VPN.

Get 74% off + 3 months extra only for Solve with AI subscribers.

I use Nord VPN across all of my personal and household devices to protect me and my loved ones from cyber threats. Especially, when I am traveling and using third-party Wi-fi.

---

If you read my previous post, you may have noticed even the best of the AI models can make silly mathematical and logical mistakes.

Networking is still the #1 way to find your perfect job, win a business deal, get new customers (referrals), or find your perfect life partner.

For example:

• I got my first job in the US through one of my contacts who happened to know the owner of the company.

• I met my wife through my uncle who happened to be a friend of my to-be father-in-law’s friend.

• I get a ton of subscribers to this Substack from my network.

I could go on and on.

You cannot underestimate the power of networking. Especially the time-tested old-school networking.

Let me clarify.

Having a bunch of followers on LinkedIn or social media only works if those followers are also your fans.

Old-school networking doesn’t mean you have to meet the person face-to-face in the coffee shop. It can be a Zoom call, InMail connect, Twitter back and forth or you pick your platform.

However, the essence of networking boils down to how you plan to help or support each other.

What do I mean by that?

True networking starts with building meaningful and lasting relationships. Small talks are good for a 3-hour flight but if it ends there then it is a missed opportunity.

Joe Polish dives into the details of this concept in his recent book “What’s in It for Them”? (WIIFT)

Joe has an inspiring story to tell from his years of struggle with addiction to his becoming the most successful market and an ace networker.

He has the likes of Richard Branson attend his networking events.

In his book, he talks about relationships that are built on value vs small talk. He emphasizes the importance of understanding other’s needs which can lead to genuine connections.

As human beings, you and I mostly focus on the “what’s in it for me” part of the relationship equation. It’s not wrong to think that way. Humans are wired to be self-centered. (Unless you are a strong follower of Mother Teresa’s teachings)

Joe challenges this behavior and makes a strong case to shift our mindset to “What in it for them”.

I have a framework based on his teachings so let’s dive into the details to understand the core concepts.

Identify Value

The first step in any connection is for you to understand the needs, desires, and challenges of the other party.

Imagine what they are going through by putting yourself in their shoes, so you know what they care about.

I have a friend who sells solar power equipment. These solar panels are expensive and average installation can cost anywhere from $20-$50K depending on the size of the home.

He tells me “I cannot go to a homeowner and tell them to pay $20K+ because it is a big ask”. Instead, he spends hours and sometimes days or weeks understanding their needs and desires.

He digs deeper to understand where the homeowner sees values i.e. saving costs, preventing outages, protecting from surges, or something else.

Offer Genuine Help

Become a problem solver. Focus on how you can solve their problems or help them get what they want.

If you read the history of any major corporation, you will see it all started by someone solving a specific problem that others were not able to solve.

This Substack is called Solve with AI because my focus is to solve your problems using AI. You can find lots of AI content on social and YouTube but not everyone is focused on solving problems.

Solving problems does not always mean selling. It can be insights, advice, or any supporting resources that can benefit them without expecting anything in return.

My solar panel friend offers his prospects a detailed analytics and insights dashboard that shows exactly how their utility cost can go down all year round.

Then he prepares a detailed report and shares a PDF and a hard copy.

He then walks them through the entire report line by line so they can digest the technical information.

Build Trust

Authenticity is the fundamental to any relationship.

Be honest and transparent in your interactions with others.

I like to give personal examples in my newsletter, and I openly share my experiences and decisions.

In my Tesla post, I discussed in detail my vehicle leading to my ultimate decision on why I didn’t accept the Tesla Y offer.

I received a ton of appreciation and comments about being genuine in my approach and not hiding anything. Likewise, I also got negative comments from those who are strong Tesla followers.

They didn’t like that I rejected the Tesla offer and some even called my vehicle an old clunker :)

That didn’t stop me from sharing what I truly believe in.

Create Strong Connections

Always be interested in their stories, experiences, and passion.

How?

By improving your listening skills.

Like anything else, listening takes practice. You and I were not born to talk first. We listened first.

A young child spends months listening to the conversations around him or her. Then finally one day they start saying words like “mama”, “papa” or similar.

Active listening starts with your loved ones. When I don’t pay attention to what my kids are saying they take me for granted and immediately sense I don’t care.

When I give them my full attention, they know I am listening, and the conversation goes well.

You need to give your full attention to the other party by focusing, understanding, responding, and remembering what they said.

Reciprocity

Start giving first without expecting immediate returns.

It is hard. Believe me.

Today we live in a self-centered world and give/take is considered normal.

Even the best and high-value content creator on YouTube will at the very least ask you to subscribe to their channel and hit the like button.

I am not saying you should always give and not expect anything.

What I meant is for you to start giving first and tame your expectations in return. You will get your return sometimes in multiple folds.

Don’t get me wrong.

I am not selling you some “Secret” methodology. I am sharing what I have experienced.

Look for ways that you and the other party can benefit from your relationship. Give them your time, free samples, free advice, free test drive, and/or similar.

Communicate Value

Finally, you can communicate the value of your products, services, or your actions and how they can benefit from it.

One of the best ways to communicate value is to share stories.

My first job in the US was working for a freight company. They used to ship cargo overseas for US-based businesses and it involved a lengthy legal clearance process for safety reasons.

One day a person who established his new business overseas asked me for a quote for shipping his cargo to Belgium. This was his first time, so he was not confident enough if he was making the right choice. He was concerned about how long the process will take.

Instead of giving him the price upfront, I walked him through the process telling him the stories of other similar European customers.

I shared with him a story when the Shipping companies who owned the ships/vessels mixed the cargo and how we as freight forwarders played a key role in solving the problem.

He loved our approach, process, and the value we bring to the table. Long story short, he ended up becoming one of our high-value customers.

Nurture Relationships

Establishing a relationship is not a one-time deal. You have to establish regular connections and maintain the relationships over time.

You must frequently seek feedback to understand if you are meeting their needs and how to improve.

You have to adapt your approach based on their response and changing requirements.

Another way to maintain and improve your connection is to express appreciation for their time and effort.

It does not mean that someone can hold you hostage and keep you on your toes.

There have to be boundaries, but genuine feedback and application of the feedback can close open loops.

My solar panel friend does not disappear after he sells the unit. He constantly follows up with his customers once a month for the first 6 months.

He identifies their concerns and offers help or directs them to the appropriate support department. He keeps track of their open support tickets to ensure they reach a timely resolution based on service level agreements (SLAs).

He also makes attempts to expedite their services where applicable.

Those are the key steps of the WIIFT framework.

Now, we will implement this framework in ChatGPT and prepare action steps for you to boost your networking skills.

I like to give ChatGPT specific scenarios and in this case, we will focus on building a strong connection at your next networking event. This can be a conference or a local Rotary Club meetup.

Typically you may end up adding someone to your LinkedIn and leave it at that.

What ChatGPT you will implement the WIIFT skills to improve your connections and foster a long-lasting relationship.

Here are the instructions we will provide to ChatGPT.