Networking
Top Tips on Networking
- Have your business cards with you at all times.
This is fundamental, how many times have you been somewhere, got chatting and then reached into your bag or pocket to discover you don’t have your cards with you. It’s very easy these days to get a small card holder and then you can keep a few with you at all times. I’ve given them out at a supermarket check-outs, tube station, restaurant and walking along the seafront!
- Set a realistic goal for how many people you will talk to at each event.
This is another one of my favourite rules, you must be clear why you are going to an event – having the ‘we’ll see’ attitude will produce ‘we’ll see’ results! So, perhaps you are going to build and meet people to be on your Power Team, or you are looking for new customers, or to build your data-base of contacts; perhaps you have a special offer or service you want to promote. I like to go for two reasons; one is to help other people get what they most want and the second is to meet new people that may be interested in what I offer at some point. Here I set a goal of how many people I will speak to and how many cards to collect.
- Build rapport with each person.
This is the most important place to start, make sure you gain rapport with the person you are speaking to, really connect to them.
- Be the ‘host’ not the ‘guest’ – ask lots of questions.
If you spend 80% of the time focused on the other person and 20% on communicating your point then this is about right. Imagine you are the host at your own party, you would want to make sure the other person is quite at home – so think ‘host’, not ‘guest’.
- Ask the ‘W’ questions – who, what, why, when, where.
Now you want to find out as much as possible about the other person and their business, who do they want to meet what are their needs, why are they at the event, when do then want to achieve certain goals, and where do they want to be in the future.
- Be genuinely interested in the other person.
Take a real interest in them, because you just may be able to put them in touch with the very person they need – and this is a great feeling. Think ‘helpfullness’. Make sure this is genuine, so try not to have an ulterior motive; if you give unselfishly it will come back to you ten-fold!
- Be helpful – offer a referral, lead, contact no where possible.
Now see if you can offer a referral, some helpful information, a contact etc. When you get back to the office, make sure to follow this up straight away if you couldn’t do it at the event.
Imagine for a moment if everyone in the room was operating like this – how much value would be gained?
- Describe your business in 60 seconds in an interesting memorable way.
When it is your turn to speak, make sure you are engaging, succinct and memorable! Think about the benefits that you offer – so when someone asks the dreaded question: What do you do? You don’t answer it with: “I’m a mortgage broker” Try: “I help people buy their dream homes effortlessly”. With the first option, you are likely to be met with silence as the person tries to think of another question; imagine the second one – this begs the question: “How do you do that?”
- Exchange business cards with everyone you meet.
This is a basic one, but sometimes people just forget to this!
- Write notes & dates on each business card.
This is a very useful tip I learnt from someone years ago – write notes on all the cards, that way you have a reference point when looking back at them!
- Follow up all contacts.
Another basic one that most people seem to forget – just send a short email, or better still a short call to say how nice it was to meet and that you look forward to the next time. Here you could arrange to do a 1-2-1 if you got on really well, these can be extremely powerful and very rewarding.
- Build friend-ships – don’t try and sell at people you’ve only just met!
I think the biggest mistake most people make is to open up with: “My name is..” and proceed to sell you their product or service – are you likely to buy? Very unlikely. Build up business friendships, so when you see them the next time, you can continue gaining clarity on what it is they do.
Most people say – “Oh there’s not much point going to X event as it’s all the same people”. This is just what you need at first so you can make the connections, build the relationships and help out others.
My own person targets for networking is 4/5 events every week if I can, and to really get to know a couple of people at one particular event. I’m more interested in quality of conversations rather than quantity, which is why Speed Networking doesn’t really do it for me. I have built my business purely on networking, and I have a full set of clients I must be doing something right!
Good luck with yours!
