The Ultimate Product Career Cheat. (Part 1)

You're just one LinkedIn invitation away to change your product career.

What you will learn in this tutorial:

✅ Why having an active networking strategy is going to change your career.

✅ Reach out to the right people with the right approach.

✅ Get the most of your networking calls.

✅ Scale the process with 100/invitations per week (Part 2 to be released soon).

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Why active networking is crucial today.

Your network is the most valuable asset in your product career 🤗.

The honeymoon phase of Product is over. The job market is now saturated and more competitive than ever.

Among knowledge, experience, or any other form of "career capital," your network is the most valuable. It’s definitely the one that will bring a competitive advantage in your product career.

I’ve been putting in the work to expand my network consistently in the past, and it has provided me with astonishing returns.

• Got my 2 last jobs, without sending a resume (people hire people they know).

• Learned things I couldn’t have learned elsewhere.

• Created a circle of personal advisors that I can reach out to anytime.

• Earned compound interest: people introduced me to other people.

The truth about networking is that it is WAY easier than it used to be. There’s no need to exchange business cards or learn cringy ice-breakers at events anymore.

LinkedIn has made networking frictionless.

In this post, I’m going to detail my personal and successful strategy to expand my network on LinkedIn.

1. In Part 1, I’ll explain my overall process and strategy.

2. Part 2 will be dedicated to scaling the process and automatically sending 100 invitations per week to the right people.

Sorry Christian, looks like you're going to have to ditch the business card.

I was wrong about networking.

Before we dive into my strategy, I just wanted to talk a little about the assumptions I had about networking.

I used to believe that:

❌ Networking would take a lot of time.

❌ People would be bothered by my messages.

❌ They wouldn’t have time.

❌ Conversations would be boring.

Turns out I was 100% wrong.

Here are 4 counter-intuitive lessons I’ve learned from talking with at least one interesting person over the last 30 days:

1. People will be grateful if you make the first step.

2. They GENUINELY want to help - They'll assist without expecting a trade.

3. C-Level folks are really eager to share their tips - They find it rewarding.

4. With the right approach, automation works and is appreciated.

In a nutshell: Active network strategy = Career cheat. 🔥

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My strategy to talk to at least one interesting person per day ✨

As I’ve recently decided to embark on an entrepreneurial adventure, networking has become a priority over the last few weeks.

Here’s my process for successfully talking to one interesting person each day and making the most out of it:

1. Set up a daily dedicated networking time slot using Calendly

2. Reach out and ask for a networking call.

3. Take 5 minutes to prepare 3 questions before the call.

4. Let AI take care of the notes so I can be fully present during the call.

Screenshot from my Meeting Minutes database

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1. Set up a daily dedicated networking time slot. 📅

Screenshot from my Calendly,

Consistency is key when it comes to networking, and having a regular time slot ensure that networking easily becomes a habit.

I use Calendly to create a dedicated time-slot to networking (8AM to 10AM) and allow people to book meetings directly in my calendar. This way I don’t have to manage the back-and-forth of booking meetings.

Here’s my Calendly setup:

• 4 time slots from 8:00 to 10:00 every morning.

• 2 meetings/day max.

• 30 minutes each.

  

  Screenshot from my dedicated networking time slot in my Calendar.

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2. Reach out and ask for a networking call. ✉️

The second step in expanding your network is to identify the right people and connect with them. Here’s how you can do it effectively:

The process couldn’t be simpler.

1. Be clear about your networking goals. Are you looking for mentors, job opportunities, or industry insights?
   
   In May, my focus was on gaining a better understanding of Sales Enablement related roles and their challenges.

2. Use LinkedIn's search to easily narrow down your results and find the right people based on their jobs, the company they work for or their locations.
   

   My “targeting” strategy is usually the following:

   • Jobs:

     • Product Marketing Managers and Leaders (40% of my meetings)

     • Related roles: CPO, CMO, early-stage Founders, Sales Enablement Managers, and Product Managers (60% of my meetings)

   • Location: US, UK, France

   • Industry: Tech

3. Send connection requests and ask for a networking call. Statistics show that invitations without notes have a better acceptance rate. However, I personally prefer to be clear about my intentions from the beginning.

   

   Here’s an example of an invitation to a Sales Enablement Manager

Results 📊

• Linkedin invitation acceptance rate: 52%.

• 18 meetings in 4 weeks.

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3. Take 5 minutes to prepare 3 questions before the call. 🤔

Preparation ensures you get the most out of your networking call.

Here’s how to do it effectively:

Research the Person: Review their LinkedIn profile and recent posts. This helps you understand their interests and making your conversation more meaningful.

Prepare Questions: Having a set of questions ready demonstrates that you value their time and are genuinely interested in their insights. Here are three questions I usually ask:

• Why did you get started in [industry/field]?

• What’s your opinion regarding the future of (their job)?

• What’s your biggest challenge at the moment? How are you addressing it?

Be Flexible: While it’s important to have questions prepared, be open to where the conversation naturally flows. Often, the best insights come from unexpected directions.

Note: You can use ChatGPT, Gemini or Claude to help you find interesting questions.

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4. Use an AI notetaker to be fully present. ✍️

To make the most out of your networking calls, it’s important to stay present and engaged. Here’s how an AI notetaker can help:

1. Use Fathom, TL;DV or any other AI notetaker.
   AI notetakers transcribe your calls in real time and summarize the key points, allowing you to focus on the conversation. I use Fathom, while Toni uses TL;DV.

2. Review the content
   After the call, go through the summary to highlight key points and action items. Adding additional comments manually is also a best practice.

3. Share the takeaways as a follow-up message.
   Send a follow-up message thanking them for their time and mention key takeaways from the call. They will always appreciate it!

Example of an: AI-generated call Summary using Fathom.

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My Networking Do's and Don'ts.

✅ My Best Practices for Networking

• Be genuine.

• Be consistent.

• Prepare for meetings.

• Follow up on commitments.

• Engage on social media.

• Build a diverse network.

❌ Mistakes I’ve learned to avoid.

• Being self-centered.

• Forgetting to follow up.

• Neglecting my current network.

• Expecting immediate benefits.

• Neglecting my LinkedIn profile.

🥁 And the most important one. 🥁

If someone doesn’t accept my invitation.

I. DON’T. EVER. TAKE. IT. PERSONALLY.

(They just have something more important to do ❤️).

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That’s it for part one of this tutorial!

In the 2nd part, I’ll explain how to scale this process and fill out my networking time slot for weeks in only a few days. 🔥🔥🔥

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