Networking – “Don’t Show Up and Throw Up”

It appears that networking is something that many small business owners struggle with.  If we go into ‘sell’ mode straight off,  we could miss valuable opportunities, and alienate ourselves, because we’ve missed the point of what networking actually is.  Networking can help us to find our target audience, give other people the chance to get to know us and discover what our speciality is.  Not necessarily a reason to flog our stuff to anyone who is warm and has a pulse!

I conducted a survey of entrepreneurs this week, because I wanted to know the kind of challenges they face as I’d like to work with more of them.  And lo and behold, one of the topics that appeared consistently was networking, sales and marketing. 

Now, I’m not talking as a marketing genius, and I don’t claim to be a specialist in that area. However, the other day I was listening to one of Adam Urbanski’s (The Marketing Mentor) recordings from one of his marketing boot camps.   He was teaching a group of business owners about marketing.  He says that in order to get customers – first you need to let people know you exist , then develop a relationship with them before you start flogging your stuff.   

Then Adam said the following 5 words which made me laugh out loud. 

When you attend a networking meeting  “Don’t show up and throw up!” 

He doesn’t mean this literally of course (unlike the guest at the Christmas party I attended a few years who threw up over my shoes…)

But there seems in some quarters, a universal ignorance of certain rules of networking.  And what those new to it are completely unaware of. 

Picture the total stranger who literally pins you against the wall at the networking event, shoves their postcard under your nose and then proceeds to spend the next 40 minutes trying to persuade you to join their business opportunity, buy their particle accelerator or drones on about how “it does this, and that, and that and blah blah blah”  

Meanwhile you’re hoping that the fire alarm will go off, or that tall dark handsame man with the naughty grin will saunter over and grab your attention instead.  

But no, instead it’s chapter and verse from Mr or Mrs Serial Networker, until you’re ready to punch their lights out and you’d wished you’d gone to that other networking event on the other side of town.

Do show up but instead of regurgitating over your next victim try this:-

1. Ask a genuine question - and gather some information about that person and what they do.  Be curious – talk to them as if they were from Mars and you’ve never been there before and so you’re gathering vital information
2. Spend at least 10 minutes listening and acknowleding this fact by nodding and chipping in where appropriate with useful insights and observations – just ‘get out of the way’ and focus on them
3. Ask them some more questions and get them to elaborate if something  sparks your interest
4. Offer to help them if you can by sharing some of your expertise insights
5. Tell them what you do expressing the benefits of your product or service without boring the pants off ‘em
6. Most of us (as human beings) will know whether or not what we’ve said has made any lights go on in the other person’s head which could indicate signs of interest or curiosity.  If this has happened, they will shift their posture, move a little closer to you or their eyes will start to show that what you have said has found a familiar place in their mind
7. If the conversation is going well, and you’ve found a subject which is of mutual benefit then suggest you meet for a coffee

They will remember you as someone they might like to get to know better, who’s interested, interesting, genuine, likeable and helpful.  This creates what is technically known as ‘The Halo Effect’, i.e. a favourable lasting impression that will stay in their mind. 

Oh, by the way if you want to know what happened to the fella who chucked up over my shoes.  He wandered off into the night, got caught up in a pub brawl that had spilled out into the street.  The police arrived, he was arrested and spent the night in the police station (proof that there is a God!)

Happy Hunting!

Wendy Dashwood-Quick