As someone who makes a living helping businesses connect with one another, I know a few things about networking. Many marketing principles used in my daily work apply to marketing oneself to an audience out in the field. That’s why I cringe thinking about when speed networking was the rage—attend one event, get paired with several potential partners for a focused few minutes and move on.
Speed networking hasn’t come roaring back, but that approach is still used by facilitators at networking events. Watching such interactions, I shake my head and think: Dudes, it’s not a competition to collect business cards. It’s about forming relationships.
Think about it. Speed networking is to businesses what speed dating is to singles seeking mates. How many people do you know who met their spouse at a speed dating event? Probably very few given you can’t develop a deep, meaningful relationship without gradually getting to know them over time. That said, here are tips for truly effective networking.
First, relax and get comfortable in your own skin. Dress both appropriately and comfortably so you’ll feel good about yourself. Smile when walking in and make eye contact with everyone you meet.
Next, by all means say hello and briefly catch up with anyone you happen to know in the room. A familiar face will light up your smile and put you at ease. But remember, this is mostly about new relationships so keep your more familiar conversations limited.
Third, but by no means last, be approachable and get genuinely interested in what other people have to say. Ask them about their business and listen well. Hold back your own sales pitch until they ask what you do. And don’t make it a sales pitch! Make it an amazing value proposition or compelling short story.
Can we make this quick?
The old speed networking idea may sound good: Turbo charge your networking effectiveness by jamming in as many quick conversations as possible under a drill sergeant with a stopwatch. Collect more business cards in less time! That’s what appeals to a lot of salespeople who sign up for these events.
I remember studying the faces of some speed networkers at one gathering. The dominant ones doing most of the talking would lean over the table, boasting about their companies and products with an intense stare. For them there was “blood in the water” and prey to be had. The ones listening tended to lean awkwardly back, politely holding attention to the full frontal sales pitch.
What’s wrong with this model? It goes against human nature and business principles. Speed networking is awkwardly prospecting for leads. Real networking is forging lasting relationships and building loyalty that is genuine.
Even if you’ve scored a good contact or two at a speed networking event, it wasn’t those rushed elevator speeches that made it happen. It happened because you connected as human beings and liked each other. A buyer-seller fit would be a nice bonus. I would advise speed networkers to practice their listening skills more than their selling skills.
Networking Principles
There are many chambers of commerce, associations and commercial enterprises that run events for the sole purpose of business networking. To make the most of them, follow these six rules of engagement:
1. This is not about you and it never has been;
2. Become interested in what others have to say;
3. Be an ambassador and a connector, not a salesperson;
4. Have an awesome value proposition ready for when people ask what you do;
5. Participate on boards and committees;
6. And show up again and again.
Do you notice how all of these principles have a common thread? They are all about making you a more valuable person in the marketplace. That attracts people and drives word-of-mouth referral business.
Success can happen immediately or even years from now as you plant new relationship seeds and nurture them. For example, by applying principle number 4, I made an immediate connection from the first meeting at a chamber lunch networking event. From that day he’s become one of my best clients for two years and counting.
I can attribute more than half of my business volume from dozens of active clients to the application of principles 2, 3 and 6. Here’s why that’s important: My business has never needed to make a cold call. Networking has easily replaced traditional sales calls and the client relationships are much better.
Study the list above and fight the urge to sell, sell, sell!