Could a low-energy introvert attend five days of networking meetings without collapsing?

Hi, I am Jill Celeste, a low-energy introvert, and I wanted to find out. So, I lined up five consecutive virtual networking meetings—one for each workday—and vowed to be present at each one.

A part of me thought I would throw in the towel by day four. Another part of me worried I would make myself sick. I recognized these defeating thoughts as messages from my Ego (thank you, Ego!), and stuck with my plan.

By Friday, I had learned so much. I summarized my findings and lessons in this blog post—keep reading to learn more.

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So, what did I learn from networking for five consecutive days as a low-energy introvert?

Short answer: A lot!

I divided my findings into two categories: (1) Networking lessons that anybody can use, and (2) Specific lessons for the low-energy introvert.

One thing to note before I delve into my findings…

I only networked virtually—meaning I never left my home to attend a networking meeting. Virtual networking is a big win for me because it saves me time, energy, and money. And I am blessed to be the founder of Virtual Networkers, a virtual networking organization for women entrepreneurs, and four of the five meetings I attended were Virtual Networkers meetings.

With that disclaimer aside, let’s get to my findings.

Networking lessons for everyone

I learned two “must-know” lessons from my five consecutive days networking:

• Make sure your 30-second introduction (sometimes called elevator speech) rolls off your tongue. Many entrepreneurs winged their 30-second intros, and you could tell. What a shame! This is your time to shine—your moment to explain how you help and heal your ideal clients. Please don’t patch together your elevator speech at the last minute. Read this blog post for help crafting your 30-second intro.

• Always be ready to answer this question: What’s a good referral for you? This question, which was asked during several meetings, tripped me up (and I wasn’t the only one). Not only is it important to know who your ideal client is, it’s important to be able summarize your ideal client in three or four clear sentences. Like your elevator speech, take time to prepare so you don’t fumble your response.

Networking lessons I learned as a low-energy introvert

Honestly, I could write a book (hey, maybe I will!) about the lessons I learned as a low-energy introvert and networking. Here are my big five takeaways:

• I must plan my entire week for networking and the other work that needs to get done. I dropped those networking meetings on my calendar, but I didn’t plan how I would complete my other business tasks, such as writing blog posts, posting on social media, and writing follow-up emails. I struggled with keeping up with the non-networking tasks. Add in my required naps (yes, two hours every day—unapologetically), getting Trixie to and from doggie daycare, cooking dinners, and personal obligations…well, I was wiped out and felt behind all week.

• With that said, I proved to myself that I can be an active networker! I didn’t die or collapse into a heap. Being low energy is a valid reason to monitor how I work, but it can’t be a crutch either.

• Even though I proved it could be done, I wouldn’t want to network five times a week—at least not every week. I think an optimal networking load for me would be three hours a week: Still getting my networking done, while having enough time and energy for other business tasks.

• Even networking just three hours a week, though, still requires me to reconfigure when I can complete my other business tasks. I would have to let some things go, delegate them, or rework my schedule somehow (such as scheduling social media posts in advance).

• I had fun! You should only implement the marketing tasks that bring you joy, and for sure, virtual networking is a joyful marketing task for me! Remember: If you find joy in your marketing, you’ll get better results.

All in all, this was a fun experiment, and I have no regrets. I slept like a rock (both at night and during my naps), which meant I replenished my energy levels. I didn’t get sick or feel like crawling under a blanket, either.

Equally important, I made great connections, strengthened relationships, met wonderful new people, and shared lots of laughs. I also wrote a new 30-second intro about Celestial University, and nailed down a quick yet effective explanation about who my ideal clients are—both of which will help me so much at future networking meetings.

If you are a low-energy introvert, I hope this blog post helps you navigate your networking journey. If I can do it, you can too! Let me know if I can help in any way.

More resources

Here are some other resources that will help you with your marketing and mindset:

My mentoring program, the Loud Woman Marketing Strategy Session, where we create a marketing plan that will increase your visibility and confidence to market to your ideal clients

My book, That First Client, which will teach you how to create an effective marketing system that will always attract clients to your business

My book, Loud Woman, which will inspire you to get Louder in your life and business

Check out my latest blog post about marketing, getting clients, and the Law of Attraction

Virtual Networkers, my global virtual networking organization for women entrepreneurs

Get More Clients Track, a year-long program that will teach you how the fundamentals of marketing so you’re always attracting clients

Manifest More Clients Track, a year-long program that will teach you how to use the Law of Attraction in your marketing

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