©Ralph Jean-Paul

A friend of mine, who is also a fellow speaker, is probably the best networker I have ever seen.  He has an astounding ability to connect quickly, remembers the name of everyone he comes in contact with, and is a great storyteller.  Although these qualities are good, he has one skill that outweighs them all; he understands everything.

I attended one of his speaking engagements where he spoke to an audience of entrepreneurs.  After the presentation, we did some mingling and networking with some of the people who were in attendance.  We talked to many people, and no matter the industry or trade, my friend understood their business.  He didn’t just hold conversations about the person’s business; he knew what only the experts knew. 

One conversation that sticks out in my mind was when we were approached by a man who was a sales rep for a revolutionary type of water purifying system.   My friend never worked in water purification yet he did most of the taking.  He knew the history of that particular system and who invented it as well as the negative aspects of it.  I think the sales rep and I both were shocked by how much he knew.  It was amazing that nobody could “stump” him.  No matter who he was talking to he was already an expert.

It took years of learning and networking for my friend to gain the amount of knowledge that he has and shares.  For you to have an advantage in your next meeting, you must begin to be open to learn about all subjects.  If you meet someone and don’t know about what they are selling, learn what you can from them and then do some research on the subject.  In time you will become a more seasoned, versatile knowledgeable networker.

2. Make Friends not Contacts

Most networking meetings are a collection of people who are anxiously delivering well prepared lines about what they do, who they represent, and how they can help you.  It’s a mass production mentality to networking.  This approach may be efficient and time saving but highly ineffective. 

The most effective way to influence people to use your product or service is to build relationships.  Going to networking meeting with the intention of meeting people as opposed to making a sale has long term benefits.  Knowing and meeting many people opens many doors of possibility for you that you may not have even seen.

It is similar to being single.   Many single people meet other singles through friends and acquaintances.  Instead of scouring the single scene alone, they have numerous people who are willing to introduce them to other singles. 

This is the way business friendships work.  Instead of making the rounds at every meeting you attend, you will have friends out there that will meet other people that might need your product or service.  But in order for this to work, you must also integrate step number 3 into your networking practices. 

3. Be Ready to Help

I was recently in the management section of a bookstore when a man asked me if I was in management.  I told him that I wasn’t but there was a particular book I was interested in reading.  We continued talking and he told me about his entrepreneurial ventures. 

He was incredibly motivate and had great knowledge about success principles and what he needed to do to reach his goals.

He also had a great life story and many experiences including moving to another country to explore his passions.  Although I had no need for his services, I told him about some events in the area where he might meet some potential clients.  I also sent him an email with a link to a website that lists local meetings and networking events.

Once you’ve gotten into a mindset of helping others, you’ve drifted into a realm that successful people have known about for ages.  That helping others is the best way to build relationships and business friends.  Be ready to help others and others will be ready to help you.

 


4. First to Speak

If you truly believe in what you do, you should be passionate about sharing it. This is why it is important that you attempt to be the initiator of most of your conversations.  Waiting for people to approach you may make you look insecure about your business.

 Taking the initiative is a sign of confidence and assurance in what you have to offer.  You also want to be the first to present a service to a potential customer or client.  If you are in a networking meeting that has 100 people, chances are there is someone who is selling a similar product or service.  Presenting it first may make the difference.

 5. Meet with Intent

A part of your preparation for a networking meeting should be to find out who will be attending.  If you do your networking though Meetup.com you should see a list of people who have RSVP’d for the event.  Take the time to view some of the profiles and remember information about the attendees.  When you are at the event, be open about know how much you were looking forward to meeting them.  If you would like to propose an offer to a particular person then you should prepare what the offer is and how it would benefit that person.

Even if there is no way to find out who will be at the meeting there is a way you can meet the person or people that may be a good business connection.  When I was building my website, I had no technical experience in website development.  I decided to go to a networking meeting in hopes of finding someone who knew more about the subject.  My objective was not to sell something, but rather to gather information through various conversations.  As I met real estate agents and brokers, travel experts, and small business owners, I would ask,

“Who have you met here so far?”

Eventually someone said, “I met a guy who is a programmer and builds sites.  That’s him over there.”

Score! Mingling and socializing in that way paid off.  It enabled me to gather more information about who was in attendance and what profession they were in.  When someone told me that they’ve met someone that work with computers, all I had to do is make my intention to meet that individual. This technique is great when going to larger meetings because you can save an enormous amount of time.

 6. Make Them Remember You

At the end of most meetings you’ll likely have a pocket full of business cards and a vague recollection of the people who handed them to you.  This is common because many people use the same techniques when networking so it is sometimes difficult for a person to stand out.

 One way to stand out from the crowd is to engrain yourself into someone’s memory.  When you first meet someone at a networking meeting you will tell them about your product or service and they will share with you their product or service. 

Once you’ve gone your separate ways and meet other people, go back to the ones that you think you’ve connected with the most.  But instead of talking business, talk about another subject entirely.  Keep the conversation light and away from anything relating to business.  This will ensure that the people you meet will have two points of reference to remember you by.

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