So, you set off to the networking meeting armed with your freshly printed business cards, some fresh lippy, and suck in a deep breath as you enter the door!
You head for the wine and nibbles to make sure you have something to do with your hands. Seconds after you pop a vol-au-vent in your mouth, you get pounced on by either Clive or Philomena, who seemed to be the friendliest people on the planet until you realise they’re network marketing their way through the group and no one else will actually talk to them.
No, you don’t want any skincare products and no, it probably won’t change your life either, neither will it change the lives of your friends, cousins and Facebook friends.
Excited? No, me neither.
So many people go to networking meetings for what they can get. I’ve always felt really uncomfortable with that. Have you ever been talked at for a length of time and had to listen to someone else’s drivel? How memorable are those people (for the right reasons)?
Tip Number 1: The Rebel way is the opposite (obviously).
Don’t network for what you can get, network for what you can give.
Our networking workshop at the Rebel Business School has been called ‘The Mafia Guide to Networking’. This doesn’t mean you have to bring a horse’s head with you. It’s more about making friends.
You know the scene from Donnie Brasco: ‘He’s a friend of mine’?
And what do friends do? They help each other! So, when you meet someone new, what can you give?
- Ideas: Have you got an idea that might help them?
- Contacts: Maybe you know someone who might be a customer for them, or someone who could help?
- Cards: nice gesture, low cost
- Books: we’ve gifted all sorts of books
One of the most influential people Alan met while networking came when he was on a training course and he offered to help this fellow participant to write a PowerPoint pitch. (For those who know Alan, he’s so passionate about PowerPoint that he was paid by Microsoft UK to teach their staff about PowerPoint – but that’s another story for another time!).
Alan’s help for this one interaction led to a business partner, meetings at 10 Downing Street with the Special Advisor to the PM, meetings at the House of Lords and £10,000s of business.
It all started with focusing on what we could give.
Tip Number 2: Get away from the small talk and level up the conversation with a great question.
Asking great questions can help turn a dull event into a fascinating dialogue with someone new.
One of the expressions that has hit us most over the last ten years is, “The quickest way to be interesting is to be interested” and this has enabled us to connect with so many interesting people around the world.
Questions are the key to getting the other person talking and to begin learning more. You never know what you might find out!
Here are a few you could ask:
- What’s your biggest business challenge?
- What have you tried so far to solve it?
- If you weren’t doing this, what would you be doing?
- Other than me, who is the most interesting person you’ve met? 😉
- What excites you most about the future?
Tip Number 3: Stop giving out business cards because you know what happens to them.
First, they get stuffed into a purse or wallet, and then, after a month or so the wallet or purse gets too fat with paper so we have a clear out.
The business cards make it to the kitchen drawer (third one down usually) and then in three months, the kitchen drawer will be stuffed with paper so we have a clear out. The business cards then get looked at once, you say to yourself, “oh yeah I remember them” and then they get binned.
Don’t let that be one of your business cards.
Instead of giving out business cards, take them from others and commit to following up. Try this:“I don’t have any business cards with me, can I take your contact details and I’ll send you an email so we can stay in contact.”
Unless it’s someone you don’t really want to stay in touch with – in which case, by all means, give them your card.
You must own the follow-up because if you leave it to the other person, it may or may not happen.
We had a fabulous musician on one of our courses who was playing music at people’s weddings. When we got to this section of the workshop, she told us the following story:
She had gone to a wedding fair and met someone planning their own wedding. She played them a demo of the music and then had a great chat. The bride-to-be took the business card and said they would call to book.
Our musician then started to wait for the call.
Anything could have happened. The business card got lost, they changed their mind or just forgot about it.
The musician is still waiting for that call.
Don’t be left waiting, take their business card and take control of the relationship.
Tip Number 4: Go for maximum fun!
If you’re someone who bristles at the thought of networking, go for as much laughter as you can – people will gravitate to you. Just before you walk in the door ask yourself this question:
“How can I make the next two hours brilliant fun?”
In a recent study of why people change suppliers (B2B,) we were amazed to see that 71% of companies would change suppliers if the new supplier was more FUN!
Tip Number 5: Leverage your existing network.
Send an email to all of your contacts with a brief (2 lines max) update of what you’re doing, say you want to stay in touch and offer your interest and your help in what they’re doing.
Pick the top ten people you know who are connections (but you’re not that close to) and ring them!
You have to take action to chat to people and get to know what they are up to.
Did you know you can download all your LinkedIn contacts email addresses and then email them?
Start staying in touch with the people you know and get on working your existing contacts!
Summary
The two sayings we would love you to take out into the world as you network are:
- The quickest way to be interesting is to be interested!
- The more you give, the more that comes back to you.
And remember: HAVE FUN!
