In a newspaper article titled “The Art of Schmoozing,” one of the people interviewed by the reporter was quoted as saying: “A lot of our organization is built around networking, which means that we’re built around schmoozing.”
In his wonderful book, “The Joys of Yiddish” (among my all-time favorites), Leo Rosten commented: “I have never encountered a word that conveys ‘heart-to-heart chit-chat’ as warmly as does shmooz [his spelling].”
Schmoozing is about listening instead of talking, and about what you can do for others, instead of what they can do for you. It’s been likened to The Golden Rule, and called “the authentic practice of treating others well.”
Salesmanship and networking can be taught, but I’m not sure schmoozing can. It seems to be something that comes naturally, part of one’s personality. It’s all about sincerity.
Can being a good schmoozer lead to the development of solid business relationships, as well as personal ones? Certainly! As the old saying goes: “People do business with people they know, and with people they like.” But it’s all about letting it happen, rather than trying to make it happen.
A Final Word: “If you want to win at networking, don’t keep score.” ~ Harvey Mackay