Should I Use ChatGPT to Write My Networking Messages? A Guide for Business Owners and Sales Professionals
"Can AI just solve networking for me?"
A young business owner named Tracy asked me that after one of my talks. She baked cakes and catering orders from her home kitchen and dreamed of opening a bakery. She'd watched hours of videos and hoped the right prompts would take care of the hard parts: awkward introductions, follow-ups that went nowhere, events that felt like a waste of time.
It wasn't working. Her conversations were still awkward, and her connections still faded.
It's exactly the right question for this moment, and the answer is simple: AI is the filter. Not the relationship.
The problem: everyone sounds the same
Today anyone can research a person in minutes and generate a polished outreach message in seconds. But when everyone has the same information, information stops being an advantage. And when everyone sends polished AI messages, they all start to sound the same.
If your follow-up note is so generic it could have been sent to anyone, it won't get you the next meeting.
The system: AI before, human during, AI after
1. AI before the conversation. Use AI to understand the person's world: their industry, their role, and the problems they're likely trying to solve. Prepare two or three thoughtful questions, not a speech.
2. Human during the conversation. No tool can do this part. Ask what they're working on, listen for the problem behind the answer, and ask a follow-up question about that problem.
3. AI again after the conversation. Use AI to organize your notes, remind you when to follow up, and check your message for clarity.
Write it yourself first
In my book Networking in the Age of AI, a new consultant named Meg asks AI to write her follow-up emails after an event. The result is clean and professional: "It was great meeting you at the event last night. I enjoyed learning about your company and would love to stay in touch."
It isn't real. Her actual conversation with the executive was about one specific problem: his company had tried several wellness vendors and none had worked. So Meg rewrites the email in her own words, mentions that exact frustration, and suggests a small pilot program. Only then does she ask AI to help, with a prompt like this:
Check the tone of this message. Make sure it sounds professional but still personal. Correct any grammar if needed and keep the voice and meaning the same.
The AI fixes a phrase and leaves her voice alone. Two days later the executive replies and asks for a call. That email turned into her first corporate client.
Double-check what AI tells you
Meg also learned this the hard way. Before one event, AI surfaced a podcast in which an executive talked about his team's long hours. She opened with it. He paused and said, "That interview was about two years ago." AI gave her facts, but it also gave her a false sense of familiarity.
One test before you hit send
Ask yourself: If I were standing in front of this person right now, would these words sound natural? If not, rewrite.
The TRUST Method
The book organizes all of this into five steps:
Target: choose the right people and the right rooms
Research: use AI to understand their world before you meet
Understand: listen for the problems they need solved
Support: follow up with something specific from your conversation
Track: keep notes and know when to reconnect
AI organizes the information. You build the relationship.
Networking in the Age of AI is written for solopreneurs, new business owners, consultants and sales professionals who want to turn conversations into clients, partnerships and opportunities.
Quick answers
Is it okay to use ChatGPT for networking messages?
Yes, as a helper. Write the message from your own memory of the conversation, then use AI to check tone and grammar.
Can people tell when a message was written by AI?
Often, yes. Generic messages with no specific detail from your conversation are easy to spot and easy to ignore.
What's the best way to use AI for networking?
AI before the conversation to prepare, you during the conversation, and AI after to organize your notes and follow-up.
