Networking: 10 Tips to "Clique" Quick

 

Networking: 10 Tips to "Clique" Quick

 

If you are "out there" networking at different events like I do each week, you need to know how to sort, identify & qualify who you wish to meet; going from stranger to rapport in about 5 minutes... multiple times per event. Here is what I have learned over the past 20 years of networking:

 

 

1.Be Authentic: Be who you really are. Have an agenda, know why you're there, what you want and need and who you are looking to meet on purpose. Be on your best behavior—but always be yourself.

2. Be in the Moment:Please … shut up and listen with your eyes and ears. Ask good questions. (Have prepared go to questions that help you sort & qualify those you meet). Roaming eyes (looking over and around someone) is an instant turnoff. Your task is to understand the other person first.

3. Find a Need and Fill It:Help someone with their child, health, or wealth and you will create quick rapport. You want to connect by genuinely adding value to this person if possible. One way I do that is play host, even if it's not my event. I ask them, "what type of business connection were you trying to make today? Who are you looking to meet?" (ie. a CEO, a car mechanic, an insurance agent, etc.) I tell them as I'm navigating the crowd I can keep my ears open for that connection for them, or if I already know these folks are there, I physically connect them right then and there. If I can connect 2 people that can make business happen between them, how am I looking to BOTH of them now?!

 

4.Follow-up or Be Forgotten:Attention spans are short these days. Following up demonstrates you care and helps build the connection. It also will impress people, because 98% won't do it. Send a personal note or make a follow up call to set up a one-on-one coffee meeting. E-mail is not enough.

5. Give Credit and Take the Blame:This is especially true when you lead a team or a networking group. Remember you have a limited amount of time; therefore, quickly rid yourself of toxic people and those "spray & pray" folks-they see how many business cards they can give out at an event—people who drain you of your time, energy, and patience.

6. Make Others Feel Good and/or Important:Give sincere compliments where appropriate regarding an accomplishment of theirs, a great idea the have or suggestion they make, etc. Let them have the spotlight (I always say I want the person I'm speaking with to leave with a suntan, since the spotlight was on them the whole time).

 

7.Don't Be Boring:Talking only about YOU, sports, business can be boring. Read! Do not pre-judge people. Try to be tastefully funny. Ask those "go to" questions that get people talking about their passions, their hobbies, their kids or pets, etc.

 

8. 30 Second Elevator Pitch:Imagine you get on an elevator with someone who says hello. You have from the lobby until the 10th floor to introduce yourself & your business without being boring. Prepare a short 15-30-second statement that says: A) who you are, B) where you're from, C) what you do, D) how you add value or solve pain, and E) a motto or tag-line is good to close on too. A great 30 second elevator pitch should pique people's interest and give them something substantial from which to establish a connection.

Here is one of my pitches' openers: "HI, 'm Thomas Nelson, I'm licensed by the state of California to help the homeless by putting them into the largest debt of their lives and they thank me for it! Yes, you might have guessed I'm a residential Realtor with San Diego Metro's Coldwell Banker" Trust me that gets a conversation going faster than ;'Hi I'm a Realtor, I sell houses, blah,blah,blah."

9. Smile Please:It makes you approachable and it signals openness, warmth, energy, and interest. You'll attract more people pure & simple.

 

10. Dress For Success: Yes … how you look matters. First impressions stick for a long time, so make a great one! Looking and smelling good go perfectly with feeling good and sounding good. Pay Attention to appearance and hygiene and if you are at an event that serves food and alcohol, just remember you are there to meet people and make a good first impression that leads to more one-on-one meetings & business. You are not there to get drunk, flirt and see how many trips to the buffet you can make before unbuttoning the top button of your pants. Remember, people are watching you!