Dan Kimpel – 10 Networking Tips

10 Networking Tips

By Dan Kimpel – http://www.DanKimpel.com
© 2010 All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission.

I am often ask to present key networking points that can make a difference in someone’s music business career. Please consider the following:

1. Effective networking has to benefit both parties. Why should someone give you the time of day, if there is no potential benefit for them?

2. Everyone wants to get on the train that’s up and running, so it is imperative that project appears to have momentum.

3. We often meet music people in non-musical settings: church, AA meetings, the medical marijuana dispensary, the dog park. So before someone buys you as an artist, songwriter or musician, they must first trust and appreciate you as a person. First impressions count dearly.

4. Finding common ground is a networking key: people like to do business with those who are like themselves.

5. Nashville is the most cordial of the music cities. In New York people reject and say no emphatically – in L.A. they never say no, they just don’t call back.

6. Name dropping can be hazardous, because we never know the relationship between the person we’re talking to and the name we’re dropping. Folks exaggerate their relationships, too.

7. In order to build a relationship, it is imperative to meet someone more than once. For that reason I encourage songwriters and artists to attend a variety of events in diverse locales to give the impression of a national presence.

8. Not taking yourself too seriously is an excellent tool for maintaining equilibrium in a social setting.

9. Always wear a little pin, a music t-shirt, or something to identify yourself as a music industry professional when traveling, shopping, etc. It allows others access to you.

10. No networking can ever happen if someone is on a cell phone or texting. These distractions are sure death in effective social interaction.

Dan Kimpel: Acknowledged as one of the American media’s foremost authorities on popular music and songwriters, Dan Kimpel contributes to a dizzying variety of print and electronic mediums: books, interactive CD’s, magazines, websites, videos, documentary films, new media and onstage interviews. Check out Dan’s website www.dankimpel.com for more info.