Banquets, meetings and conferences, OH MY! If you are like the masses of introverts mandated to attend networking events, the only great thing about these events is the fact, we are out of the office chair. Each one are forums in which we network to meet prospective clients and referral influences. However, these gatherings don’t have to be dreaded nor an introverts worst nightmare.
Many who say they love networking usually are the ones who are always eager to talk about themselves, what they do and how their product/service is the best. But networking is not about you, it is about who you will be meeting. Hopefully this article will offer a little help to help get you off the wall, out of your seat and talking to potential clients.
Let’s go to school. The key to successfully navigating a networking event is Research. Our clients call it Homework. Before you attend an event try hard to answer the following questions: Why, Who, What, How, Why, and When
Why is the event happening? This is important. Whether it is a charity benefit or a Chamber of Commerce luncheon you will need to know a little about the host and the event. That way you already know you have one thing in common to at least break the ice.
Who is going to be at the event? It is important to know the audience you will likely encounter. If you are lucky you will know one or two people personally so it knocks out some of your jitters before you talk with those you are planning to meet.
What do they do? Like I stated it is not about you, this is not about what you do, because what you do will be tailored around what they do. (I talk about this in another LinkedIn post Hi, My Name Is )What role do they have within the company: CEOs, Politicians, Sales Managers, Administrators? Your message needs to fit on the level of ability to make a decision or change.
How can you or your company help? This is the hardest and depends on how much research you have done about the company or at least about the industry. Your knowledge of what they do will enable you to engage in an in-depth conversation and most importantly ask more questions to decide if they are a good fit as a client or as a referral influence.
Why should they do business with you? This is the only question you need to ask yourself. The key to the missing puzzle. Once you know who’s going to be there, what they do and how you can help, it is time to add your service. Again, hopefully you read Hi, My Name Is to challenge you to think a little different in your introduction.
When will you communicate again? Know your schedule for off the cuff appointments and the community scheduled events. Once you know the targets for your networking event, you need to also know of any other events they might be attending or may need to attend in the near future. This tells them you are not just sitting behind the desk and are involved in the community.
Those who don’t enjoy networking events usually hate to think they must talk about themselves or sale a product. However, to successfully navigating a networking event as an introvert the strategy is understanding it is not about you, it is about those who you have identified as a potential client or referral influence. Once your research is done, you can move with at least a little more confidence communicating with new people you knew at little about.
Need help communicating at events or how to start your research message? Schedule a consult with one of our certified representatives