Overcoming networking hangups
Establishing a realiable contact network is vital in business, especially during times like these. But proper networking at conferences and similar events can be a stressful and ultimately unsatisfying process.
What's the most important part of the process? Is it the introduction? You break into the conversation with a friendly, 'Hi!'. Do you cheekily palm them your business card at this point or wait until the close?
Some people seem to breeze through the room, attracting introductions, cracking hilarious jokes and generally networking as efficiently as is humanly possible. But for someone who isn't a natural conversationalist the whole thing can be immensely nerve wracking, which is ironic really as it's the nerves that rob you of whatever small measure of wit and charisma you may have had before, leaving you a mumbling, incoherent wreck.
But ultimately, we're not there to be witty and charismatic; we just need a clear strategy.
So what's the secret to successful networking?
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Networking tips
Here are some good tips from Robert Myatt of Kaisen Consulting:
Step 1: Set your aim
What do you want to get out of the event? Being clear about what you want to achieve helps you to focus on getting your job done. How about something like: “I’ll get five potential clients to agree to meet with me”?
Step 2: Select your targets
At a one day conference you will typically have a maximum of two hours for networking, so you need to be focused. Arrive at the conference early and scan the delegate list; pick out the people you’d like to meet.
Next, you need to put names to faces. Circulate around the venue, tactfully glancing at badges and make a mental note of your ‘targets’.
Step 3: Engage your target
Be bold approaching your targets, most people are very happy to talk to new people at conferences – that’s probably why they’re at the event. So approach people at the coffee table or on the way out of a session. Keep your conversation opener simple. You are both at the same event, so that’s an obvious place to start. Try something like ‘how did you find that session?’, ‘how are you finding the conference?’
Step 4: The conversation
Now we’re in business. We’ve started the conversation; what do you do next?
Get them talking about their business: It is very easy to carry on talking about the conference or the weather or whatever, but if you want to further the relationship you need to get them to talk about their business. A subtle link to such as ‘so, I guess that must be a priority in your business’ can work well.
Instant mini delivery: Once you are talking about their business, the next step is to convince the person that you are someone worth talking to further. This can be done through the ‘instant mini delivery’ which is in essence a small taste of the kind of insight or opinion they would get if they worked with you. You can do it by showing some insight into the their business issues e.g. “we’ve found that financial services businesses are often…” or “we’ve often seen companies…”. Dropping in a few relevant client names can help with your credential building.
Step 5: Getting commitment to meet
You need to get verbal commitment to meet – otherwise all your efforts are wasted. From my experience if you get verbal commitment to meet, there’s an 80% chance they will agree to meet up when you follow-up. If all you do is exchange business cards, this chance reduces to around 30%.
Gaining the commitment to meet can be done in a casual way e.g. ‘I’m often in your part of town/country, how about we meet up to talk further?’.
Step 6: Move on to the next target
This means:
Finish the conversation; if you’ve got commitment to meet, the conversation has reached a natural denouement, so it’s OK to just say “nice meeting you..” and move on. Alternatively, you can throw in an excuse e.g. “I’ve got the make a call…”