Law Firms | Professional Services | Career Coaching | March Women in M&A | "commerciality to lift the bonnet, explore, identify and implement powerful solutions"
Networking doesn’t need to be frequent, loud, or overwhelming. In fact, for many of my clients - especially those pivoting across roles, industries, or countries - networking is most effective when it’s both strategic, and tactically focussed. One client I worked with was long-serving - and respected - in a "big corp" role he enjoyed. But after completing an EMBA, he no longer wanted to do more of the same. He felt that the real opportunity lay in a different function. He knew what he wanted. The timing was good... his organisation was embarking on a major deal, creating some dream roles in the other function, one level up. What he didn’t know was how to start the conversation internally. A sponsor had moved on, stakeholders were changing by the month, and he didn't have the senior connections he needed outside his team. So, together, we built a six-month networking strategy. We began by mapping the key stakeholders - internal and external - identifying names with influence in the selection process. People in senior roles with priorities and prospects that aligned with his direction. From there, we narrowed that list down to a core few. These weren’t just people in power; they were people whose vision he could engage with, whose paths he could learn from, and whose orbit he could begin to enter, gently, intentionally. He didn’t reach out to all of them at once. He didn’t ask for anything. Instead, he followed on LinkedIn. He read. He commented, thoughtfully, not excessively. He got his story CV pitch ready. We rehearsed. He knew what he wanted to say, and how he wanted to say it. He curated his connections in common with the core few ... and met for a coffee with these intermediaries, one by one. Those conversations helped to fine tune his pitch. He started attending events where the core few individuals were going to be. We chose just one event to prioritise; a focused, high-impact opportunity with the right kind of people in the room. He took the opportunity to speak to the agenda, showing that he knew how to help the approaching deal to succeed. Step by step, his name became familiar to the core few. Six months in, he was invited to interview for his dream role - up against more obvious internal candidates, and expert external partners. He delivered the warm pitch of his life, and won the job. There was no cold pitch. No broadcasting. Just a quiet, consistent presence and a clear sense of purpose. This is what I call a drip campaign. It’s patient. It’s precise. And when it’s built on clarity and trust, it works.