Psi Upsilon networking event brings business insight

JUSTIN FORTIER ’18
NEWS EDITOR
On Sept. 10, 2015 the brothers of Psi Upsilon and the Career Development Center jointly hosted a forum on networking with alumni Wayne Sellers ’00 and Chris Ayala ’00, two successful entrepreneurs.  A combination of drive, risk taking and networking let them to their current positions, Sellers as the co-founder and president of a restaurant group that owns 19 fast food outlets in Eastern Canada, and Ayala who is currently CEO of Vertisense a company that makes bio-sensors for mobile phones based out of NYC.
In a combination of monologue and question and answer formats, the two business leaders mapped out the core principles of networking success.
Sellers stressed the necessity to be curious and engaged when learning about new things or people. Ayala distilled it down to three core principles. He explained, in order to have “positive interaction you need intensity, sincerity and preparation.” Both agreed that universally, people love talking about themselves. “If you ask a question with genuine interest, most people would love to set the time aside to talk.”
Ayala also made a point to note that emails need to be short, especially if they come from someone new.  “Long emails are just bad communication,” he said. To keep his emails simple, Ayala suggests, “an introduction of who he is, what the potential link between them is, and what he needs.” As attention spans shrink and turn-around times in the work place fall to nothing, quick and polite is the best way to keep all networking communication. Lastly, it is it always important to network even when you have no immediate need. if you make a connection, “Don’t be the guy who only reaches out when he needs something.”