Networking Is More Than Just Handing Out Business Cards
At a Chamber of Commerce Business Card Exchange several years
ago a well-dress woman walked up to me, business card in hand
and, in perfect form held it in both hands in front of me,
gesturing for me to take it. I took the card from her and
smiled. She looked up and in a polite voice, said "Thank you,"
and walked away. How sad. Here was this obviously
well-intentioned woman, who most likely owned an interesting
business but never learned what to do at a card exchange.
Somewhere she bought into the idea that you were suppose to hand
out as many business cards in as little time as possible.
Clearly, this does nothing but waste business cards. Great for
card businesses, not so great for yours.
The other extreme is the person who spends the entire time at a
card exchange talking to the same individual, sometimes even
people from their own company. Again, this is quite
unproductive. The purpose of a business card exchange is to get
to meet new people in a pleasant atmosphere.
While there are many good books to help you hone your networking
skills including, Sue Roane's How to Work a Room, the essence of
networking is quite simple.
Businesses run on relationships. I've always felt that
everything that we do is about personal relationships and a
business just gives us a playing field on which to do it.
Following that theme, growing your business is about developing
and nurturing relationships and card exchanges and similar
networking events are really the starting point to begin what
will hopefully become a mutually rewarding relationship.
Since your time is limited, it is a good idea to spend only a
short time speaking with people, especially those you already
know. If you feel a resonance with someone you're talking with,
make arrangements to follow-up your connection at a later date
and move on to meet someone else. I'm sure the shy looking
person in the corner, who is probably there for the very first
time, has something interesting to say. Why not go over and
extend your hand.
The other big faux paus I see over and over again, are the
people who approach the networking meeting with a "me, me, me"
attitude. A better approach is to learn about the other person
first. You then have the option of explaining how what you do
might be of interest to them. This establishes a stronger
platform for communications, for as speaking legend Zig Zigler
says, "You get what you want by helping other people get what
they want."
Care about the other person
There are better ways to network and meet prospective business
contacts. For openers, (no pun intended) people are more
responsive if you first show some interest in them and what they
do. There is an old cliché that says we have one mouth and two
ears for a reason. If you listen more than you talk, you will
automatically find people more interested in talking with you
and being around you.
Marketing guru, Jay Abraham, once said that "Discovery is the
fuel of competitive advantage." Get curious. Become interested
in other people and what makes them tick. Really care about the
other person. If you take the time to investigate, you will find
that even those people who appear quite ordinary have a story to
tell. If you show an interest in them and their lives, you will
not only increase your chances of doing business with them but
you may gain a friend as well.
How do you do that?
When you do introduce yourself, do so in a way that states the
benefit of doing business with you. Saying "Hi, my name is Mary
and I sell insurance" is not very exciting. However, if you were
to say, "My name is Mary and I help people prepare for the
uncertainty that may be in their future." This causes the other
person, if they are at all curious, to ask, "How do you do
that?" At this point, you have opened the door for a further
explanation or "commercial" for your business. You can go on to
explain the benefits of your products and services.
As an exercise, devise three or four ways to introduce your
business. Let each one focus on a different benefit of your
product or service. Test each of them at your next networking
event.
Remember: people do not buy products or services, they buy
benefits and solutions. The more you focus on communicating the
benefits gained from using your products or services, the more
you will benefit from the increase in business.
With prospecting new business becoming more and more difficult,
a personal relationship is even more important and the Chamber
of Commerce Card Exchange offers the perfect playground for you
do it, besides the food is usually pretty good too.
About the author:
Jim Donovan is a motivational speaker, business coach, and the
author of several books, including Handbook to a Happier Life
(New World Library). For a free ebook or audio and a
subscription to his newsletter visit http://www.jimdonovan.com
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