Intentional Networking Edition
The DopeConversationStarter
Networking is not about collecting contacts. It is about creating connections that have somewhere to go.
Five steps for an intentional conversation. No script. No pitch. No elevator pitch. Use this before your next event.
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The question you are already asking
So what is the goal?
Not to meet everyone. Not to collect cards. Not to turn every conversation into a sale.
Learn who they are, why they are there, and whether the relationship has somewhere to go.
Read this part first
This is not an elevator pitch.
An elevator pitch makes the conversation about you before you know anything about them. It turns a human interaction into a performance.
Intentional networking starts differently: begin warmly, make the conversation about the other person, and listen.
What this is not
- A script to memorize
- A polished introduction
- A race to explain what you do
- A way to collect as many contacts as possible
- A shortcut to an immediate sale
What this is
- A simple, warm greeting
- Genuine curiosity
- Intentional listening
- A chance to serve
- A path to a deeper conversation
Why this works
People remember the conversations where they felt seen, heard, and valued. None of that happens while you are reciting a pitch. It happens while you are listening.
The goal is not to teach you how to perform better. The goal is to help you trust yourself enough to have a real conversation.
The shape
Five steps.
Not a script. Not five lines to recite. Five decisions that keep the conversation human and intentional.
Set your intention
Know why you are in the room
Before the event, decide why you are entering the room. Your primary intention may be to learn, connect, serve, collaborate, or grow.
What kills it
Walking in thinking, “I need to find three clients.” That turns every person into an opportunity to evaluate instead of a person to understand.
Start warm
Be a person first
A simple greeting is enough:
“Hey, I'm Jason. It's great to meet you. What brings you here?”
What kills it
The elevator pitch. The second you lead with a memorized commercial, the conversation becomes about you.
Make it about them
Ask and listen
Ask questions that let them share who they are, why they came, and what matters to them.
Ask to understand
- › What brought you here?
- › What are you working on right now?
- › Why does that matter to you?
- › What are you excited about?
- › Who are you hoping to meet?
Listen beyond the words
- › Passion
- › Priorities
- › Frustrations
- › Goals and values
- › Opportunities to support
Your first job is not to be interesting.
Your first job is to be interested.
What kills it
Listening only for a problem your business can solve. That is not listening. That is waiting for your turn to pitch.
Keep it simple
When they ask about you
Eventually, they may ask, “What do you do?” That is not an invitation to give a speech. Answer the question they asked, then stop.
“I help business owners get better at sales and networking without relying on pitches.”
What kills it
Answering the next five questions they have not asked. A short answer creates dialogue. A long answer takes control of the conversation.
Create the next step
Move the right relationship forward
A meaningful conversation should not end with “We should connect sometime.” Decide whether the relationship has somewhere to go.
- › Send a specific resource or make a valuable introduction
- › Invite them to an event, community, or useful conversation
- › Schedule a 30-minute Deeper Conversation
Follow-up proves you listened
Within 24 hours: follow up personally. Within three days: deliver what you promised. Within seven days: complete the next step. Within 30 days: reconnect with relevance.
The only rule
Your next question has to come from their last answer. If it does not, you were not listening. You were waiting.
This is the one skill in the entire process. The moment you think you know where the conversation is going, your brain starts loading the next question before they finish answering.
A preloaded sequence may sound polished, but it stops being a conversation. Their answer should decide what you ask next.
Use this
Pause. Repeat one phrase they said. Ask about that.
You do not need the perfect next question. You need the question their answer earned.
After the conversation
Three questions.
Answer them honestly. The honest answers are the only ones that can improve the next conversation.
What did they say that you never followed up on?
Name the detail, concern, goal, or opportunity that you let pass.
Where did you stop listening and start performing?
Name the exact moment you started planning your response or trying to sound impressive.
What meaningful next step did you create?
A resource, introduction, invitation, follow-up, or 30-minute Deeper Conversation.
The honest part
If you cannot answer question one, you were waiting. If you cannot answer question three, the relationship may not have a clear next step yet, and that is okay.
Who wrote this
Jason Integrity
Army veteran, sales strategist, and author of Selling Without Selling: Dope People Sell Dope Shit.
He has spent his career proving that people buy from people they know, like, trust, and understand, and that not one of those four things happens while you are talking.
You Are Already Dope.
Dope people build dope relationships.
You did not need an elevator pitch. You needed permission to be present, make the conversation about them, listen, keep your answer simple, and follow through. The habit is the practice. Do it again at the next event.
Let's Get It!