Tips for Successful Networking
Matt Lynch is the national sales director of LYNKA Promotional Products. John Lynch is president of LYNKA.
"Duck Season!"
"Rabbit Season!"
Sorry Bugs, too bad Daffy, you're both wrong...it's Networking Season!
Summer's over in Warsaw. It's back to school for all the students and back to work for all those decision-makers that you've been telling your boss have been so difficult to reach these past 2 months.
It is also the time of year that has more mixers, parties and events than any other. With this next series of articles, we will try to help salespeople "sharpen their saw," to remind them about some of the basic things that everyone knows, but (unfortunately) nobody practices. In our experience, salespeople think that they have all the answers, but we have news for you: there may be a thing or two to learn yet.
We would hazard to guess that most of the networking done in Poland is a total waste of time. You go to a "networking event" sponsored by the AmCham or the WBJ, hand out a few cards, receive a few in return, promise people that "I'll call you," and then you never follow up. Or - here's the best-case scenario - you send an e-mail: "It was so very nice to meet you at the business mixer." You think you have accomplished something, because you told your boss that you went, you consumed the free food and wine and managed to snag a few business cards to put in your database. Do you want to know where the business cards that you handed out ended up? In the "T" file - that's "T" for "Trash"!
Do you want results? Do you want to increase sales? Networking is the most cost-effective way to attract new business. After all, what better way is there to make 30 good contacts in a few hours? If you tried to do that by cold-calling, it would probably take a month.
In the spirit of networking optimism and success, here are a few tips to keep in mind:
Preparation
Create a checklist that you review before every event. It will remind you of those essential, simple things that always seem to get left behind - simply because they are so self-evident: business cards, pens, your cool plastic business card holder (in case they run out) and a few other basics.
If the event is open to the public, then try to invite some clients. In this way, you take on a host-like role by introducing your guests around. Zig Ziglar had a great line on this topic: "You will get everything you want in life, if you help enough people get what they want in life."
Networking Etiquette
Do not smoke, do not drink too much and do turn off your GSM phone. Sounds like advice from your mother, doesn't it? Our good friend Peter used to say there were three things that all good salespeople must have at all times: shined shoes, clean nails and a nice tie (or nice dress for the ladies). Networking is all about making a good first impression; if you can accomplish that, you've won half the battle. When asking for business cards, always offer yours first.
Don't Sell ... Network!
We heard someone once comment after a mixer: "That was a really good party - there weren't too many salesmen trying to sell me something." How's that for a backhanded compliment? The moral is: don't try to sell while networking; instead try to establish a rapport and decide if there is a need to follow-up. Always set a goal or two for yourself at the event, such as to meet all the sponsors and/or get five really good leads.
10-Second Commercial
Work on your introduction with this thought in mind: after your introduction, will the other person remember you tomorrow? Don't force yourself on people - instead, genuinely try to learn who they are and what they do. It's not hard: just open your ears instead of your mouth. How many times have you wished that other people would do this for you? Exactly. Now, try applying it to yourself.
Work the Room
We've seen this happen a million times: sales reps from one company hang out together in a corner drinking and smoking and won't talk to anyone else. Dare to break away from the herd! Circulate, chat, and if you see someone you want to talk to, approach them. This is, after all, why you're at the function in the first place; that being said, don't butt into other people's conversations. Instead stand discreetly by and wait for an opening.
Try to position yourself near the entrance at the beginning or end of the event - that way you can greet people as they are arriving, and you also have the opportunity to be the last person they see at the event. Think of it as a simple way to make both a first and final impression.
Follow-Up
All the fantastic leads in the world are fantastically useless if you don't bother to follow up, so give people a call, or write them an e-mail or letter with something of value attached. It helps if you take notes after your initial conversation, so you can say also something personal in the note. That may sound obsessive and stalker-esque, but it's not...
Back in 1996, former U.S. Secretary of Defense Casper Weinberger and Christopher Forbes (yes, of that Forbes) came to one of the WBJ's mixers to promote Forbes Magazine in Poland. They probably met about 100 people each. After the mixer, as they made their way to the airport in their limousine, they both furiously scribbled notes on the back of the business cards they had collected, to help them remember each individual they had met. Here were two extremely powerful and wealthy men, jotting down notes after an evening of networking with a comparably unknown group of people. The WBJ publisher sat by, astonished at their diligence.
Two weeks later, a beautiful, personalized letter came, signed by the chairman of Forbes Magazine: "It was nice to meet you in Warsaw - congratulations on your entrepreneurial success in Poland ..."
Now that's awesome networking.
