"It's My Party"

When I got started in Business Coaching, I had no experience in a key tool of small business marketing, Networking.

And I found it a pretty challenging thing to learn (yes, I am a “recovering Introvert”!).

A couple years in, one of my clients came up to me at an event and asked, “why are you acting that way?”

(You know, trading business cards, doing “30 Second Intros”, and trying to qualify leads I could do business with “right now”.)

She then taught me a crucial lesson when attending open networking events.

“The best way to network is to tell yourself that this is a party that YOU are throwing. How would you be a good host?”

The answers:

1.      Start by “catching up with them”.

>> I’d ask them what was going on with them and their business.

2.      Make sure that they mixed in with my other guests and had a good time.

>> I’d ask them about the kinds of people that would want to do business with them, or that they would like to meet....and start introducing them.

>> I’d introduce them (later) to people who weren’t at the event who I knew “would be good fits”.

What’s the payoff for YOU of adapting this CONTEXT for events?

By acting “as if it is YOUR” party, it in fact BECOMES your event:

>> The energy that you project changes from “participant” to leader and connector.

>> You are engaging and interesting.

>> You are someone who is valuable to know.

When you make that kind of effort to connect people, they inevitably become curious about what you do.

>> They’ll be interested in doing business with you.

OR

>> They’ll tell other people about you.

Give it a test run the next time you’re at one of those really big, open networking events.

And in the spirit of doing “Touch and Go’s”, do it multiple times to build your skill.