Networking with a purpose

Relationship-building expert says to plant seeds for career growth

—By Cecilia Hong

Lawyers and law students may know they need to network, but not enough of them are networking with a purpose, an expert told USC Law students.

Mark Maraia, a practice development coach and author of Rainmaking Made Simple: What Every Professional Must Know, spoke to students April 24. He offered tips for networking in a way that helps accomplish tangible career goals, such as building a legal practice. The USC Law Career Services Office sponsored the talk.

Where should networking begin? Maraia says it’s important to focus on the people with whom networking begins. Students start small by building relationships with people they know and like, he said.

“Keep in touch with people before they become decision makers,” Maraia said.

There are three levels of networking, Maraia said. Level one is “take, take, take.” Relationships on this level are formed with the intent of getting something from the other person; there is no interest in giving back, Maraia said.

Level two of networking is bargaining: give to get. Maraia calls this level “quid pro quo” because the motive behind it is to give to get something in return. Relationships formed on this level cease when the “getting” stops, he said.

Level three is the best form of networking because it is selfless, but yields the most promising results, Maraia said. It consists of “giving to others because you enjoy it or at least you see it as a way of planting seeds.”

 Lawyers can plant more seeds and build long-term relationships by “putting other people together for their mutual benefit,” he said.

Maraia also gave students his strategy for working “for” a room at a networking event. “Put people together; have high-energy conversations by asking high-energy questions; act like a host, not guest; and seek out and find a specific person,” he said.

Examples of high energy questions are “What do you love the most about your work?” or “What keeps you awake at night?” Tapping into a person’s passion is what makes connections because that is what’s memorable in any conversation or meeting, Maraia said.

Because networking is not a one-time event but a constant effort to maintain the relationship, follow-up is everything.

“You never know when the seeds that you plant will shoot up into a huge, fruit-bearing tree,” Maraia said.

Licensed to practice law in Colorado since 1983, Maraia has worked in both private practice and as in-house corporate counsel. In 1990, he founded Maraia & Associates, Inc., as a practice development coach specializing in client relationship skills of lawyers. Maraia coaches lawyers in various practices and works with them on selling legal services and building client relationships.

For more tips on building relationships that work, visit www.markmaraia.com.