Building Bridges with Networking

Most people focus on networking in a backward way. They think of it as a process of meeting other professionals in order to introduce themselves and their companies. With that in mind, they go to networking events, and worry about how to sell themselves and their services. But the reality is that those you are meeting really don’t care about you; they care about themselves. The thought that fills their mind is not, “Who are you,” but rather, “What can you do for ME?” Generally, people hire or buy from people they like, and people generally like people who are interested in others.

Look at your marketing emails – how many times do you use the word “I” or “We”? If your marketing materials sound like this, then you are in trouble. At the very least, you’re not capitalizing on all of the advantages around you. For instance,

• *I* do this and this and that;
• *My* customers love me;
• *I* have been in business for x amount of years; and
• *WE* have done this and this and some more of that.

Instead, focus as much as possible on the person in front of you – especially if they’re your customer. Use sentences such as:

• What do *YOU* need?
• Do *YOU* find yourself needing more x, y, and z?
• I would like to hear more about *YOUR* company and goals for the immediate future.
• *Your* target market often complains of . In order to address this, we….

So, when you attend networking events, go into them with three interesting questions at your fingertips. Use these to solicit great conversations from everyone you meet. Instead of – “What do you do?” Try – “What do you enjoy most about the work you do?” Instead of – “Hi, I’m Joe(anne) and .” Try asking a question where your business or services can provide a great answer. For instance, instead of your basic intro, “I’m a Virtual Assistant”, I say – “What would you do if you could free up just one extra hour in your day, every day?”

Instead of, “Hi, do you need my services?” Begin your conversation with any one of the following, “What can I do for you? Who would you like to meet? What resources have you been looking for that you can’t find?” The general idea is that the number one factor in COMMUNICATING is LISTENING! Especially when you’re networking, be interested in other people, and they will surely start to find you interesting as well.

This week’s Challenge #1 is to come up with three great networking questions and send them to me. I will compile them and send out the results in my next newsletter. Challenge #2 is to write and tell me about someone you met recently and why their business is so cool or interesting. Don’t share about yourself – highlight someone else and their company or services. The idea is to improve and focus on your active listening skills. No matter who you are, learning to proactively network and impress others with your interest in them will always take you far. Remember, at the very least, today’s friendly greeting and handshake may be tomorrow’s referral.