| Anyone who has been to a networking event
has met business card thruster guy. Won't leave you alone, thrust their card in your face,
every attempt at conversation gets quickly turned into a sales pitch. These people aren't
networking, they're selling. Badly.
Let me share with you some of my thoughts on what puts the
'work' in networking. Networking is a form of marketing, and any form of marketing is most
effective when you don't come straight out and say "buy this!" The best
marketing techniques work on building relationships - courting trust, showing your
intentions to be honorable in what you are offering. And there are certain market
characteristics too:
People buy people. People work with (and refer) people they
like. People don't like being sold to.
That's why the best networkers aren't the great sales
gurus, they're the archetypal 'people person'. They are interested in other people and
what they do. They want to help as well as be helped, not just because it will see them
get business in the future, but because they like helping others. And most importantly,
they don't talk - they listen.
Many networking events involve a 'round robin' of everyone
there, which certainly has its uses - you get to tell everyone who you are and what you
do, and if there is someone there who is looking for the service you provide, they will
very likely come up to you for a chat. But that's not networking, that's hit and miss, and
it's very important to understand the difference.
What I call hit and miss is what I just described above.
You tell as many people in one go what you do in the hope that one of them is looking for
it - the social equivalent of a mail-shot, and just about as effective.
When you network, it involves who you get to know, and who
they know, and who they know. This is called Six Degrees of Separation, the theory of
psychologist Stanley Milgram. Milgram theorized that there was a chain of six people or
less connecting us to everyone else on the planet, and this is also where Six Degrees
Network gets its name from. This, to us, is exactly what networking is about: working that
chain, getting your details through to the person at the other end, by getting to know
people who can pass that information on. Word-of-mouth marketing relies on this being a
small world, and networking makes it even smaller. This is also why the IT consultant, for
example, shouldn't ignore the mechanic or the florist - firstly it's rude, and secondly
who knows who they know?
So how do you get your name down that chain? It's
unfortunate but true, that meeting a truly nice person is a rare occurrence these days.
People remember meeting them when they do, and they feel an obligation to do something
nice for them in return. Business card thruster guy will be bunched in with all the rest
that person has ever met, but you, the sincere, friendly person who they chewed the fat
with for half an hour about their business, their family and life in general, will be
remembered. And if someone ever mentions your type of service to them in the future, you
get the all-important "You know, I met a really nice guy/girl who does that
called…" Just in case business card thruster guy is reading this and wonders
what my point is here, this is called a referral. Its ok, I know you haven't seen one
before. Don't be scared.
Networking Top Tips:
1. Join several networking groups and attend
as many of their events as possible. Regular attendance builds up good relationships very
quickly.
2. Try and make sure you talk to at least one
new person at each event you go to - don’t just stick with the people you already
know.
3. Don’t expect that you will walk into a
networking event and come out of it with a job or a new client. Networking takes time and
patience.
4. Sticking your business card under the nose
of everyone you meet is guaranteed to annoy them. Don’t go into your sales pitch
straight away and always try to talk with someone rather than at them.
5. Show a genuine interest in other people and
what they do and get to know them as people rather than as business opportunities.
6. Don’t disregard someone who
doesn’t seem to be of immediate ‘use’ to you. You never know who they know
or how they might help you.
7. Manners cost nothing so treat everyone as
you would wish to be treated yourself. People buy from – and recommend! – people
they like.
8. Be natural, be yourself and enjoy the
opportunity to meet and learn from other business people.
9. Don’t be afraid to walk up to someone
and start talking. They are there for the same reasons as you are and will probably be
grateful that they didn’t have to make the first move.
10. At the end of the day, everyone is there
to meet new people and make new contacts so don’t be afraid of politely ending a
conversation with someone and moving on to someone else – they won’t be
offended.
11. When giving someone your business card,
you may want to consider giving them two – one to keep and one to pass on.
12. Try and find something you can do for the
people you are talking to. Do you have a contact you can pass on that might help them with
a problem they have? Do you know a good supplier who is just what they are looking for?
People will remember you as friendly and helpful.
13. If you make a good contact at an event,
make sure you follow it up. Send them an email, make a quick phone call – it
doesn’t matter how you do it but always, always follow up.
14. Don’t forget about online networking.
Join some business forums, put up some posts. You’ll start to recognize some names
and you may find that they are going to an event you will be attending which gives you a
head start as you know someone already before you walk through the door.
And finally - Listen! If you only take one tip away from this article, it’s got to be
this one. If you’re too busy trying to think about what you’ve got to say next,
you might just miss a golden opportunity. You’ll learn a lot more by listening and
people will be impressed with someone who has obviously paid attention.
In summary, forget the sell, sell, sell - take
the pressure off yourself by approaching the event as a fun opportunity to meet
like-minded people and always remember that you get back what you give.
Happy networking! |