I was at a
networking event not too long ago. I did not know anyone at the event, so I
picked out a seat at a random table and sat down. I like to observe people. You
can learn a lot about people by just taking some time and observing. You could
quickly distinguish the newcomers, like myself, from the regular crowd. You
could also tell who the players were from the
my-boss-makes-me-come-to-these-things people. It seems like most networking
events are designed for the extremely extroverted and leave the mildly
introverted in the shadows. So the extroverted regulars were working the crowd,
squeezing palms, slapping backs, and talking… talking, talking and talking. For
all the talk that goes on at networking events, how much business really
happens? Is this just a social club or do people really sign contracts at the
end of the day?
Networking
is an important part of marketing in today's business habitat. However, I find
that there are common mistakes most attendees and their bosses make at
networking events. It begins with the view of the role networking plays in the
overall marketing plan. If you have the view that every marketing action will
bring an immediate sale, you have taken a very short-sighted view of marketing
in general. All marketing activities are geared towards driving sales, but some
are made to fill the funnel with business prospects and other activities are
meant to close a deal. Networking is a fill the funnel activity.
As the name
implies, networking is also a game of finding out who other people know so they
can connect you to a prospective customer. How do you do that? People who are
successful at networking don't go into these types of events looking for
customers. They go in with a list of potential customers and then they seek out
people who know those prospects. The same is true of online business networks.
Successful networkers are looking for that second degree of separation; someone
who can introduce them to the people with whom they really want to do business.
Some of the most successful networks are those who are made up of people not
doing direct business with each other and are not competitors, but simply
business professionals who know a lot of other people and are not afraid to
hand out leads. In my opening statement, I described my observations of the
people attending a networking event with me. If I am new to an event like this,
I need to get the names of the connectors of the group. They are not hard to
spot. They are those people I described who were doing all of the talking and
hand shaking. Don't leave the event without getting their business card,
telling them what you do, learning what they do and seeing if you can make a
connection for them. If you make the first move with a connector, guess what?
He or she will then feel obligated to give one to you too.
You have to
know who you are dealing with at these types of events. Keep in mind that the
people attending networking events represent other businesses. You may be a B
to B supplier of goods or services. If you are, you are sitting in a prime spot
to garner prospects. But if you are B to C, these are not your primary targets,
per se. Everyone is a consumer, granted, but that is not why they came to the
event. They are looking for business connections, not to act as a consumer.
Therefore, it becomes important that you play the game the right way. The game
is played by seeing how many prospects–or people who can lead you to the
prospects–you can walk away with at the end of the event. This is not a direct
sales game. This is a way to introduce yourself to as many people as you can…
and if you throw yourself into it, you will meet a lot of people at networking
events. Not all of them are potential customers. I try to keep a pen with me
when I receive business cards at such an event. I make notes on each of them.
Those people who I believe are a key prospect that I could do business with get
marked with a P for Prospect. Those who I believe will not do business with me,
but would be a good second degree connector, I mark with a C for Connector.
Others simply will not be either. Mark them with an X, letting you know that
they are not the person you want to follow up with after the event. That is not
being mean, it is just being fair with their time and with mine.
The other
real key to success at networking events is following up the next day. You want
to make contact with the P and C people while the event is still on their mind
and they can still remember you. Ask them for a follow up meeting or continue a
conversation you started with them at the event. Put them in your address book.
Make an effort to get to know them better and to understand them more. I have
found very good clients through networking events. I have also found some of my
most trusted vendors at the same events with this very method.
If you are
not in some kind of networking group, you need to find one. Make the time in
your schedule for it. It is crucial for the way business is conducted today.
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Photo by Alexander Novikov