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Hi there, I'm Chris Hanlon from The Profit Wizard dot com and in this short video I'm
going to talk about how to do
networking at events the right way
how to make sure that you don't feel awkward
you feel comfortable doing it
and you get the result that you really want out of it.
So, let me tell you why
i'm doing this quick video. This week we uh... attended an event called
the media mingle in Auckland New Zealand
and it's a
networking event that uh... social media people go to
It was great I really enjoyed myself
except there was a couple of people that came along
or came up to us
and tried to introduce themselves, but they did it in a very
formulaic quite pushy very awkward way.
Now I'm not trying to judge these people at all, I've been there, I know what that's like
They weren't comfortable so we weren't comfortable. So I thought I would shoot this real
quick video
to give some idea of what we can do, if if you were in that position,
-You need to do the networking, you're good at what you do as a job but you don't find
networking an easy thing to do. Alright, it's not only natural habitat if you like
so this should give you, this video should give some clues as as to how to
do that
So the first piece of advice I've got for you
is throw away all those networking
guides hat you've had about
creating an elevator pitch. Elevator pitches are just wrong
okay
An elevator pitch as i understand it was uh... designed
for
the old silicon valley days with Venture Capitalists and they really would grab
somebody
uh...
fire a story at them
and see if they could get their interest to fund them. Alright, it was a foot in the door
It's not
what you want to do if you want to build
a business.
If you want to build a business what you want is a relationship you want to be
able to engage some somebody
and compel them to want to know more
about you about your business about what you offer.
So forget about the canned uh... elevator pitches and the one minute things
just
don't even go there!
It's not the right vibe for a
cocktail like setting. So if you haven't got elevator pitches, what have you
got?
Well I've been reading a fantastic book by Annette Simmons called The Story Facor
and
she talks about stories. And stories really do make the difference
stories are compelling
by nature
there are a lot of things that you can learn and i do recommend you get the
book, and I'll put it below this video
on the post
as a link so you can get that book yourself. And I totally recommend it!
But i'll give you a few ideas; so there's a couple of things about stories you don't
want to make them about yourself
you want to make them about
your customers, I would say.
Customers are a good one. You can have imaginary stories, you can have stories
about uh... a recent event in the industry or something
and
tailor it in a way you know
how you would be able to help them out or how you would have done it
differently or whatever. So to give you an example
uh...
I might say
somebody says: "Oh what do you do"
that's great, let me tell you about one of my favorite customers; Sue ran a bakery
and she was... i mean she has got the best bakery ever
you go into her place and it just smells divine, and she loves it. She's
just
passionate about baking.
She goes to all these baking things, she wins these baking contests
and all she's ever wanted to do was to have a bakery.
But unfortunately she wasn't very good at the advertising of that bakery.
So I came along, I could see how passionate she was
and you know, she bribed me with some baking and stuff obviously
and so I did this thing for her for her blah blah blah blah blah and the result was
that she's now really happy she can focus on her baking
and there's plenty of people coming in the store.
Something like that, I mean obviously that's that shortened
what you are doing there is that you're telling a story about the customer
the person that is listening
to the story
can identify whether that's for them or if it's not. Okay?
You want to put in as many little
tips, little -um- specifics if you like
that will help story along. Things like
the aroma in the shop when you go there; she's passionate about it.
All that
doesn't add to your
pitch in the story
but it adds to the story and it helps get people into the picture
imagining what that's like and it's really important that you get that.
And play with it. It's fun
you're telling a story like telling a joke
you're having a good time, and your telling about, not about you because that's
off putting, but about someone else or something else, okay?
So that's number one okay: Use Stories!
number two
Don't push your card onto people. Alright uh...
i get really really upset -um-
with the way that people will do that sometimes and that that was quite
obvious
and there's two was they do it, they'd say oh here take my card
and like, I -uh-
don't want your card
or they say "Oh, can I have your card?"
and if you give them your card
they're expecting you to say, "Oh can you give me mine
give me yours" -rather
so they just want that reciprocal asking for a card
Don't fall into that trap!
First of all
don't take the card unless
there's a reasons to take the card
uh... They'll get the hint. If they say "Do you want my card?"
what do you
yeah, nah, not not really
um... and don't give out your card. This is a key thing: Don't get out your card
unless somebody asks for it.
If you tell the right story
and if you -um- put across what you do in a compelling way
and big if, IF
they're interested at all in what you do
They'll ask for your card.
If they are not interested in what you do or what you have to offer
and you give them your card
they will just throw it away.
First chance they get.
now they'll ask for it for themselves,
they may ask for it for somebody else
but wait until they ask for your card
Third thing
is ah be consistent in your attendance
my friend David Morrel mentioned this
and
he's so right
you just have to keep turning up. Do not
go to one of these events
expect that you can hand out fifty cards and the phone will be ringing! I can see
people sitting at home the next day waiting for the phone to ring. Ain't gonna happen!
Alright
just keep going along
go along, talk to people, get to know them
you're building a relationship with that group as well, and some of that group
will become your customers one day
but just want to build that relationship and
if they're not going to be customers that's fine too because those are the
people you build a relationship
who will refer customers to you. If you like what I've said or don't like
what I've said
uh... or if you've got better advice, or some other advice make sure you put it
in a comment below
below the video
and of course
if you haven't already connected with me
You can visit the blog The Profit Wizard dot com You can get me on twitter follow me
on twitter @TheProfitWizard
YouTube Channel at The Profit Wizard
uh... or The Profit Wizard
and facebook.com/TheProfitWizard and also on LinkedIn
and Google+
We'll put those links up. You have a Great Day!
and look after your business