The motivation you need to get up and get on with it lies within; somewhere!
Being prepared seems so obvious it could go without mention. Personal hygiene to having some business cards on you is either something you’ve mastered or the rest of this post is irrelevant.
What do you really need to ready for when you attend an event? You may have your story, an elevator pitch, a sixty-second presentation, a proposed list of attendees, an ambition to meet (.......) you fill the gap here, but what about the expectations of others, similarly turning up with their own aims, what have you got to offer them?
Turn up and take may get you some short-term wins, you may even stumble upon your next client or customer, but true networking is a long game and there’s no better time to start than now.
Turn up and take may get you some short-term wins, you may even stumble upon your next client or customer, but true networking is a long game and there’s no better time to start than now.
If you’re unsure how to engage new people in conversation when you meet remember - I guess you’ve heard this one before - ‘people love to talk about themselves’. But what should you ask them? “What do you do” is so hackneyed it’s hardly worth asking, unless you add “that really makes a difference” or “that you really enjoy” or something similar. Engage their passion, not a recital of the same response they’ve already shared with many others, and they will remember you.
When speaking with new people see them as contacts. Not suspects, prospects or some other sales pipeline label, imagine them as someone able to connect you to another who is not in the room, because that’s exactly what they are. Don’t expect them to spill a list of people to you in two minutes, however charming, disarming, smart or wonderful you are. Good networkers know that with a recommendation goes their reputation. The person you meet through their introduction is already their contact. Consider what you’d need to know about someone you’ve just met before recommending them to one of your friends or relatives and make sure you tick those boxes first, and know it can take several meetings.
But I want business and I want it now! Go for that if you think it will serve you; you will be back later trying to do it properly, and may be remembered as the ‘pushy one from a few months back’.
Ask yourself “If I recommend something to one of my contacts am I someone of influence?” If you’re not a person of influence, and that just may be true, it’ll be the first thing you work towards. Ready for an ouch? If you said 'yes' quickly to the question you probably aren't.
Try to be helpful, keep your mind open, maintain your focus on meeting new people, avoid pitching to them, discover commonalities and possibilities, set a time to follow up and don’t try to do it all there and then. Oh … and the helpful bit that nearly slipped by: helpful people are seen as natural leaders, there’s enough sheep-people around and we don’t need any more.
Step-up and lead; they will follow.
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