A year ago, I genuinely thought networking events were a waste of time.
I thought:
“Why would I leave my laptop, go talk to strangers, and waste an entire evening when I could just stay home and work?”
And honestly? I was completely wrong. Over the past 12 months, I attended more than 150 networking events, conferences, mastermind dinners, and founder meetups – and networking completely changed my business, personal brand, and the opportunities available to me.
The clients I signed, the rooms I got invited into, and the connections I built would have never happened if I stayed home trying to “grow my business” alone. So here are some of my most unhinged networking strategies that somehow worked – even as somebody who can be extremely introverted.
Strategy #1: The “Rotating Lunch Table” Method
At multi-day conferences, most people grab lunch, sit at one table, and stay there the entire time. I realized that if I did that at a 3-day conference, I’d probably only meet 3 groups of people total. And considering how expensive conferences are… absolutely not.
So instead, I created what I now call my “rotating lunch table” strategy. I’d grab a tiny portion of food, sit down at a table, and test the vibe. If the conversation flowed naturally and I genuinely connected with people, I’d stay and grab more food later.
But if the energy felt off or the conversation wasn’t aligned, I’d quickly finish my mini meal, grab another coffee or plate, and sit somewhere else. By the end of the conference, I had met 20x more people than I would have otherwise – and the best conversations usually happened later in the rotation.
Networking is a numbers game sometimes. Not every table will become a meaningful connection, and that’s okay.
Strategy #2: Coffee Line Networking
This one sounds ridiculous, but it works. At networking events, I talk to people in every coffee line, bar line, and waiting area possible.
Why? Because everyone already has one thing in common: you all paid to be there. That instantly makes conversations easier.
Some of the best business relationships, referrals, and collaborations I’ve had started from:
- waiting for coffee
- standing beside someone before a panel
- chatting in a happy hour line
You do not need to work the entire room. Even if you’re introverted, focus on finding one or two people you genuinely enjoy talking to. That’s more valuable than collecting 50 random LinkedIn connections.
Strategy #3: DM People Before the Event
Okay, this one might sound slightly unhinged. But if a conference has an attendee app or public attendee list, I’ll often look people up on Instagram or LinkedIn beforehand and introduce myself before the event even starts.
I once messaged over 100 attendees before a conference saying something like: “Hey! I’m also attending the conference tomorrow. This is what I’m wearing – if you see me, come say hi!”
Was it slightly weird? Yes. Did it work? Also yes.
Some people ignored me completely, which is fair. But others came up to me during the event, and those conversations turned into incredible connections, collaborations, friendships, and even clients. As a founder building a personal brand, sometimes visibility simply comes from being willing to initiate conversations first.
Strategy #4: Protect Your Energy
This is probably the most important networking strategy if you’re an introvert.
Networking is exhausting – even for extroverts. Whenever I attend conferences or founder events, I intentionally protect the first hour of my morning. I’ll drink coffee alone, go for a walk, eat breakfast in silence, and just mentally recharge before spending the rest of the day socializing.
Because building your personal brand through networking does not mean forcing yourself into nonstop interaction. You need moments to reconnect with yourself too. And honestly, protecting your energy is probably the reason I was able to survive so many networking events without burning out completely.
The Truth About Networking and Business Growth
Here’s what surprised me most: networking was never really about “collecting contacts.”
It was about building genuine relationships, increasing visibility, creating trust faster, and getting into rooms and opportunities I never would have accessed online alone. As much as social media matters for personal branding and sales, in-person connection still creates opportunities that the internet simply can’t replicate.
Some of the biggest opportunities in my business happened because somebody:
- remembered me from a conversation
- introduced me to someone else
- trusted me faster after meeting in person
The Bottom Line
If you’re trying to grow your business, build your personal brand, and figure out how to get more clients, networking might be one of the highest ROI activities you can do – even if you’re introverted.
You do not need to become the loudest person in the room. You just need to start showing up consistently.
And if you want more insights on personal branding, sales, networking, and building a business that actually gets clients online and offline, follow Dariaast or check out The Sell Well Agency.
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