As the months go by and we get farther and farther from the end of the pandemic, many of us are getting more and more confident in attending events in person. We yearn for the connection we make when meeting and talking with like-minded people. As a result, the ability to meet and greet others, make a good first impression and pitch what we do are becoming much more important skills again – just like they were in 2019 and before.
Here are my Secrets to Successful Pitching and Networking at a business event such as a Chamber of Commerce breakfast, an after hours meetup, a client party, a conference or a trade show.
1. Begin with the End in Mind
Like any other business endeavour, successful pitching and networking start with the two biggest drivers of business success: 1) having a positive mental attitude and 2) setting a realistic objective. The famed best selling author and of performance coach Steven R. Covey said it best when he coined the phrase “Begin with the End in Mind.” Covey’s book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People offers great advice to anyone hoping to meet people and expand their network of prospective clients. The bottom line: you have to be motivated and keen to meet people for the first time, make positive connections and be willing to pitch yourself in the process. You also should have a networking objective for each event that you attend: for example mine is to make three new connections and have a quality conversation with at least two prospective clients or referral sources.
2. Find Opportunities to Make New Contacts
When it’s all said and done, successful networking is about meeting people you don’t know and making an effort to introduce yourself and make a positive impression on them. I’ve learned that people who are really good at positive impressions and “working a room” keep a mental scorecard of how many they meet and where they stand in terms of reaching their objective that day. They are especially aware of the five typical steps in first-time encounters: 1) the visual greeting, 2) the name and position/company exchange, 3) the elevator pitch (what business you’re in), 4) a brief discussion of the pitch and 5) the farewell and exchange of contact info.
3. Smile from the Outset
Master networkers know how to quickly make an impact on a person who they are meeting for the first time. They smile from the moment they first notice and move towards the other person, and have practiced the art of making a warm (not forced), inviting and genuine smile. This smile is usually accompanied by a friendly (but brief) look into the other person’s eyes. Some networkers are also returning to the practice of offering a hand indicating they would like to shake hands as part of the greeting, although this is far less common than before Covid-19.
4. Be Warm, Friendly and Be Yourself
Whatever your approach to meeting a first-time contact, it’s very important that you’re warm, friendly and genuine. Be sure to act naturally and not contrived during the entire encounter from beginning to end. Always remember the first 30 seconds and the last 30 seconds are the two most important parts of the meeting; they set the tone for the conversation and the possibility of a follow-up meeting after the event.
5. Remember the First Time Meeting Process
Years ago, I learned a lot about how to meet people for the first time by observing Wilf Wilkinson, Founder of Wilkinson & Company LLP and former President of the Worldwide Charity Rotary International. Wilf was a master at managing the five steps that are mentioned in Section 2 above. His internal clock was always on when he entered and worked a room. I recall vividly how effortlessly he moved around the room, making sure he spent the most amount of time with people he wanted to meet, especially clients and prospective clients of his firm, and possible donors to Rotary.
6. Follow-Up Each Positive Connection
The famed sales trainer Jack Carew taught that timely follow-up is one of the top three skills in sales and business development. This lesson is as important in networking as it is in other sales activities. You should therefore make it a habit to contact the people who you would like to build a relationship with within 24 hours after meeting them.
7. Invest in Multiple Networking Tools
Master networkers today understand that we live in and do business in a multi-generational, multi-cultural environment. The people that we meet come from both genders, many walks of life, as many as four generations, cultures and educational backgrounds. Savvy networkers therefore use two or three tools to help them quickly follow-up with the people that they meet at an event. This includes: 1) a traditional business card, 2) a fold over business card (often playing card size), 3) a scalable QR Code, 4) a Pitch59 Video card, 5) a LinkedIn invitation, 6) an e-mail or 7) a text message.
Master these 7 Secrets and you’re be rewarded with more contacts and new business than you thought possible.
