Networking events for me are not about selling, but about listening and gathering intelligence. Networking is about making a great first impression, meaning you have to stand out and be memorable. You will be viewed as a great conversationalist at networking events if you resist the urge to sell and get the other person to talk about themselves or their business.
The problem with most Chamber of Commerce events is that everyone is there to sell. To be memorable, you need to stand out from the crowd and be different. Rather than going to network events with the goal of selling, probe the contacts you meet to learn more about them, their products, and their problems. Rather than try to determine if they are an ideal prospect, see if you can make a valuable connection with someone else in your network. By focusing on being a rainmaker and introducing other people that you know, your contact will see you as helpful and not as a salesperson like everyone else. Remember, when it comes to network events, you want to stand out from the crowd.
Looking for ways to make new network connections for the contacts you meet at networking events will have a double benefit. For one, it builds reciprocity in the relationship since you are providing a valuable contact for them. Secondly, the person from your network, that you are connecting with your contact, will also feel obligated to repay the favor later. Remember, word of mouth referrals are one of the most powerful marketing channels.
If you don’t have any valuable connections for your contact or have exhausted your list of referrals, don’t launch into delivering your pitch. Instead, ask the contact some more questions or advice to get them talking. People like to provide value so allow them to feel like they are contributing to your success by asking for advice.
As I write this, we are still dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. Opening up with an open-ended question about how they were dealing with the coronavirus will allow them to start talking. Remember the old sales wisdom “Ye who asks questions is the one in control of the discussion.”
One of the questions I ask nearly all new contacts when I meet them for the first time is “What keeps you up at night?” This is a great way to get your contact to reveal their pain points. You must understand their problems before you try to pitch them a solution.
Not all networking events are the same. The networking techniques you should use will differ depending upon the type of event you are attending.
Business Events
At a business event such as a trade show where everyone comes from the same industry, go prepared, and have some information that the average person does not know. Have a plan to place yourself in a discussion that will allow you to easily share your lesser-known knowledge with the contact.
Most people enjoy sharing their knowledge and wisdom, so let them open the door by leading them with questions. As they share, figure out how you can interject what you know they don’t know into the conversation.
Many years ago, I read a book designed for financial advisors, that categorized people into several personality types. The information was relevant to oil and gas exploration and production companies, selling working interests in drilling programs to high net worth investors. I reformatted the information from the book to make it less about selling stocks and bonds and more about selling oil and gas units. During my face to face meetings with oil and gas exploration and production companies, I made sure that the subject of customer personality types came up somewhere in the discussion. When appropriate, I indicated that I had done some research and was willing to share a report I had created. I provided them the report for free after the event to make the interaction memorable.
One of the biggest mistakes I see when people attend a business event such as a tradeshow or conference with a colleague or coworker is that they hang out together and chat about the event to each other. When you are talking to a colleague or coworker, you are not working the room and appear unapproachable. Instead, split up and take advantage of the business event to meet new people. Have your discussions with colleagues and coworkers after the event rather than wasting this precious time.
Business events generally involve the exchange of business cards. After each encounter, I write down some notes either on the back of their business card or on a separate notepad to capture the highlights of our conversation. I not only record the talking points, but I also assign each contact a value priority and record any actions I agreed to provide.
Business Event Follow Up
I make it a goal to get quality information on at least three contacts at every business networking event. However, for many people, networking events end here. They feel that once they have had a chance to do their pitch and hand out a card, the next step belongs to the contact to call them back.
Did you know that after a business networking event, only about 20% of the people follow up on the contacts they made during the event? It puzzles me why 80% of the people even attend these events if they do nothing with the information they gathered. Perhaps the 80% were more interested in selling than gathering information. Maybe they are hoping that their contact will be so impressed by their selling skills that they will contact them after the event. Therefore, you can instantly be in the top 20% by simply following up with the contacts you made.
When you get back to your office, do not resume business as usual immediately upon your return. Consider the first few hours of work as part of the networking event. Take out the business cards and send an email message to each contact you made.
The content of the email should NOT be “Glad we had a chance to meet.” Instead, do an online search for an article or website that addresses a possible solution to their problems and include this reference in the email. This is where I provided the aforementioned report to my oil and gas clients.
Give it a day or two and then search for them on LinkedIn. Send them a connection request with a note. After contacting them three times (meeting, email, and LinkedIn), you will certainly be a memorable contact.
Social Events
Social events differ from business events. At social events, most people do not come to talk business. Social events such as cultural events and fundraisers are great places to meet the most influential contacts. It is a place to be seen and make a good first impression and not a place to talk shop.
The higher up the food chain the contact is, the slower you have to go. Most people with influence are pursued relentlessly. While they are there to be seen as “civic-minded” they have their shields up when they attend social events.
Many prominent movers and shakers attend social events looking for opportunities to make connections and strengthen their personal brand. Participants at these after-hours social events often come with their spouses or significant others and consider the event as a fun evening out.
When approaching a political figure, celebrity, or the head of an organization, never forget to engage with the person they are with. There is no better way to make an awesome first impression than to recognize the key contact’s guest. The more influential the key contact, the more people will make every effort to seek them out. However, most will ignore the person next to the key contact. To the key contact, the most important person in the room is the person they brought and not you. By acknowledging and engaging in a meaningful discussion with their guest, you will stand out from the crowd. If you have a positive prior experience with the contact, be sure to tell the contact’s guest about how it helped you. Rest assured, on their way home, they will surely relate the evening’s events and your name will come up.
Before going to a social event, attempt to get a list of the most influential people that will be attending and whom you hope to meet. Make it a point to learn at least one interesting fact about every potential key contact and their significant other that you anticipate will attend. I’m not talking about a business fact but a personal one that you can relate to and be sure to ask them to talk about it if you get a chance to speak to them.
As an oil and gas guy, I have attended several business and social events in Houston TX. I often use a tool like Reference USA Lifestyle Database to see if any of the key contacts I would like to connect with are skiers. When we meet, I might share that I live in Colorado and even give them a ski report. Since Colorado is known for its skiing, there is a pretty good chance, if they are skiers, that they have skied in Colorado, and a discussion about skiing will certainly ensue. Again, keep them talking about themselves and never try to one-up their stories with one of your own.
Finally, at social events, alcohol is almost always present. There is always the temptation to partake in the consumption of alcohol like everyone else. If your attendance is to simply rekindle or strengthen old connections that is one thing, however, if your goal is to make connections with new contacts, I recommend that you avoid alcohol and just get a soft drink or savor a single beer throughout the evening. When you meet a new person, especially if they are a person of influence, you need to be on your game and not have a clouded mind. After all, this is your first impression with the other person so make it a good one.
