CPE Executive Council: Networking Tips from CRE Execs

No matter how many years you’ve been doing it, it can be intimidating networking in a room full of strangers. But it it often necessary to build your business and grow in your career. This month, the CPE Executive Council shares networking tips they wish they knew early in their careers and their top suggestions to work the room.

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Back to Basics

(Try) building genuine relationships, not just collecting contacts, and stay in touch with them. —Rombert Lazo, Vice President of IT, McHugh Construction

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Get Personal

There are two things that I wish I had learned early in my career.  Find out who might be attending a networking event and come prepared with a list of people you want to talk with. Secondly, focus on getting to know the people and not just the professionals by asking about things outside of work like family, interests, etc. and not just work related topics. —Dave Ebeling, Owner, Ebeling Communications

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Nurture Your Relationships

Invest in relationships before you need them. Throughout my career, many of the most meaningful opportunities have come from people I’ve worked with, stayed in touch with and supported over the years. Whether it’s connecting with prospective talent, exploring a business opportunity, or navigating a challenge, having a network built on trust and credibility is far more valuable than having a large list of contacts. —Puja Doshi, CFO, NAI Hiffman | Hiffman

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Be Intentional

Focus on building relationships before you need them.

Early in a career, it’s easy to treat networking like a numbers game: more business cards, more LinkedIn connections, more introductions. But the people who create the most opportunities usually do something different:

• They stay in touch even when they don’t need anything.
• They share useful information, introductions, or insights first.
• They cultivate a small group of genuine professional relationships rather than hundreds of superficial ones.
• They follow up consistently over years, not just during job searches or deal pursuits.

In commercial real estate, for example, a five-minute check-in with a developer, broker, lender, or researcher every few months often creates more long-term value than meeting 50 new people at a conference and never speaking again.

A simple rule: “Give before you ask.” If someone associates you with helpful market intelligence, thoughtful introductions, or useful feedback, opportunities tend to come back naturally.

Keep a list of 20-30 high-value relationships and reach out periodically with something useful, even if there’s no immediate business opportunity. Over time, that habit compounds dramatically. —Doug Ressler, Manager, Business Intelligence, Yardi

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Be Genuine

Interaction and relationships matter. It isn’t always about collecting contacts, it’s about building genuine relationships. The title insurance world is a small industry, locally and nationally and your reputation for being responsive, reliable and helpful travels much farther than a business card ever will. They end up in a desk pile sometimes! Lasty, a follow up goes a long way, a mentor in the industry once told me “don’t follow up when you get home, give it time, and don’t be aggressive.” Great advice for getting in front of those that matter the most to building a successful business. —Michael Stump, Vice President of National Commercial Business Development, Proper Title

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Interested in joining the CPE Executive Council and being featured in future articles? Email Jessica Fiur.