Many people are most comfortable walking into a crowded room and looking for someone they know – and then spending most of the event speaking with them. That’s not an effective way to network. If you are going the effort of attending an event to meet business prospects, hiding from them throughout the evening is clearly not a good strategy!
Consider when you work out at a gym, you may do it in stages from the warm-up to the cool down, ending with stretching. Each stage takes a lot of focus at the beginning but eventually the process becomes second nature to you. Most important, you see and feel the results of a consistent approach to your workouts.
Networking can be approached in the same way. A step-by-step process will generate better results than a hit and miss approach based on your confidence and motivation (or lack of same) on a particular day.
Here are some recommended stages for mastering networking in the same way you work
out.
WARM-UP: Exercises before you go to the event
- Keep in mind the key elements of a successful prospect touch – listening and hearing, finding common ground, listening again and leaving the person wanting more
- Write down three things that you want a prospect to know about you. What separates you from the competition is key. Be clear about what you do
- Practice a natural versus a “smooth” elevator pitch. Resolve to be natural and not to recite a canned message
- Ensure you are dressed appropriately and arrive before keynote speakers and distinguished guests.
CARDIO: An endurance plan for your prospecting efforts
Take note of who is in attendance. Walk around the room when you arrive to see who is there, look at the list of attendees in advance, or check out the table plan in the foyer. Make a mental note of 7-10 prospects with whom you want to speak during the evening
After your initial walk around the room, stand at its centre. This is where the power lies and where you are more likely to be introduced to people initially. Standing along the walls or hugging the bar or buffet can take you out of the loop
Regroup and block out your prospecting time so that you allow a proportionate amount of time with each prospect. (You don’t want the evening to drift away as you find you have had a nice breezy chat (and nothing more) or have been mined for free information for 30 minutes with no useful next steps in place.
CIRCUIT TRAINING: Timing your “heavy lifting”
Approach each prospect on your A-list.
In each case, be sure to:
- Quickly make a connection on a personal and professional level
- Don’t know anyone? Talk to the host and ask to be introduced to one of his or her colleagues
- Briefly chat with spheres of influence first – clients and the conference chair
- Present your card at the appropriate time (when asked or when a natural opportunity appears)
- End conversations in a timely and gracious manner
- Monitor your alcohol consumption and avoid eating complicated dishes while balancing a drink
- Be sure to include others who join the conversation
- Do not dominate the conversation
- Listen closely and maintain eye contact versus always scanning the room
- Agree on the method of following up – phone, email, face-to-face meeting.
STRETCHING: Assess your progress
While still at the event, give yourself a break and assess your work during the Cardio and Circuit Training phases.
If you have the mental and physical energy, consider a second go-round with a B-list in attendance if the A-list did not produce the desired results.
COOL DOWN: Learning from it all and planning your next steps
- Summarize the results of the event in writing when you get home, including scheduled meetings and noting referrals you have obtained
- Rank prospects on a scale of one to five, one being a long shot and five being a qualified prospect with whom you have arranged a follow up meeting
- Take credit for what went well – don’t lament connections that did not work
- Identify the high points of the evening (phrases you used/ comments you received)
- Note next steps in your calendar if you have committed to a meeting or phone conversation
- Assess your workout performance with your “trainer” (a coach, business partner or whomever you choose to discuss the evening with).
When assessing whether it is worth your while to even attend a networking event, remember that non-prospects can surprise you by referring you when you are yourself and make a lasting impression. Besides, by staying home due to weather or lack of interest, your chances of making face-to-face contact that evening with one potentially good prospect – or more – are zero.
This article was originally posted on LinkedIn.