The Ten Biggest Mistakes of Business Networkers - Part 6

No6: They don’t like small-talk

The largest amount of talk at any event is the ‘small talk’.

Whilst I commonly hear that people like to get ‘straight to business’ and that they dislike 'small talk', it is during the small talk that the foundations of good relationships are laid.

You can’t do big business without the small talk.

Reinforcing what I said in point one, people like to do business with people like them, so it’s here where we find out:

• what people like
• what people are like
• if they are like us
• and whether we like them.

It is here where we establish the key areas of similarity and connectivity which enable us to move conversations forward and towards the business topics.

For some, small talk seems easy, but for the rest of us, giving this some thought and preparing a host of topics to draw from, to keep it from drying up, would be a great asset wouldn’t it?

Mark Perl is a leading expert on the subject of Business Networking. He specialises in SME’s, business networking for solicitors, along with CPD training for the legal profession

The Ten Biggest Mistakes of Business Networkers - Part 5

No5: They don’t know what they want to get out of the event

I’m confident that in most businesses people undertake financial forecasts, prepare marketing plans, assess training needs and prioritise actions.

Without doing these things, it makes it more difficult to achieve your overall objectives and to derive measureable returns from your activities.

So I’m sure that you subscribe to the fact that even in the strongest winds, a yacht without a charted route, will never arrive at its destination.

So of course, like me, you’ll be fascinated to realise that many people attend networking events without knowing what they want to get out of it!

They simply omit to set their goals.

These goals could be many things. To find a new business advisor; to gain some new industry intelligence; to meet two new connections in their field; to uncover two new business opportunities; to find a new member of staff; to learn about the competition.

Personally, I find it a little strange that some don’t have a target to aim at, since, mostly, networking activities are not remunerated and take place in our own, personal time. I like to make sure that I derive significant return on my investment in time and energy when I’ve sacrificed my own. Don’t you?

Also, to derive any sense of achievement one must have an objective to make it measureable. Without this it's just net-eating and net-drinking, isn't it ?

Mark Perl is a leading expert on the subject of Business Networking. He specialises in SME’s, business networking for solicitors, along with CPD training for the legal profession

The Ten Biggest Mistakes of Business Networkers - Part 4

No4: They don’t answer the “What do you do?” question very well

This is one of those questions you’ll be asked 100% of the time, every time you go networking.

I guarantee it!

You’ll agree with me that it sounds so simple to answer, but this is one of those questions that many people regularly answer poorly.

I’m a... banker, an accountant, a solicitor, an engineer, an architect, a surveyor...

We commonly hear a never ending litany of career classifications, but does this really help?

Recognise that at this point you have the opportunity to create a full colour picture in the mind of another guest. You can frame it in a way that will make you interesting and intriguing, or you can present an uninspiring, black and white snapshot which will leave others paying no attention to your answer and who will, conversationally, move straight along.

Remember that no-one is really interested in what you do!

They are only interested in what you can do for them, or someone they know.

So you can see how giving a more complete and considered answer, here, will help, can’t you?

Mark Perl is a leading expert on the subject of Business Networking. He specialises in SME’s, business networking for solicitors, along with CPD training for the legal profession

The Ten Biggest Mistakes of Business Networkers - Part 3

No3: They’re convinced they can’t remember names?

Are you like so many other people who believe they have problems remembering names?

How long do you think it takes to forget someone’s name when they give it to you at an event?

Instantly?

I respectfully suggest that you’re wrong!

There is nothing wrong with your memory nor do you have to continually replay that iPod track in your mind which reinforces that you’re ‘bad at remembering names’. The simple truth is that we’re usually so busy judging the other person, or thinking of something to say that will make us interesting, or worrying about creating a good impression, or distracted by whatever else is going on around us, that we’ve filled up our mind leaving no space to even hear the name.

We simply weren’t listening in the first place.

It’s an attitude thing, not a memory thing!

So, focus on the other person and concentrate. Be ready when a name comes at you.

Relationships are built on names. First names. Listen for it, repeat it to yourself, repeat it back to them and use it as soon as you can in the conversation. They’ll automatically feel more at ease with you, feel more connected to you and will respond more positively towards you when you use their name, as will you to them when they use yours.

We’re there to build relationships, so it makes putting in a little effort to remember a name more appealing when we recognise the benefits, doesn’t it?

Mark Perl is a leading expert on the subject of Business Networking. He specialises in SME’s, business networking for solicitors, along with CPD training for the legal profession

The Ten Biggest Mistakes of Business Networkers - Part 2

No2: They don’t prepare.

How would feel if you arrived to make the first presentation for a new key-account client without having done any preparation? Anxious, nervous, self-conscious, exposed? How would you react to one of your team members if you found out that’s how they’d turned up to their first meeting? So I’m sure you’ll agree with me when I suggest that to get the best out of any situation you need to do some preparation and planning.

There are many, many reasons to go networking beyond just finding new business, so have you allowed time for some preparation before the event, so that you can focus upon the required outcomes in the three hours at your disposal?

What time do I want to arrive? Is there parking? What is the speaker topic? Who is my host at the event? What is the purpose of the event? Who is attending? What is the format of the evening? What impression do I want to portray? etc.

Ensuring you have given consideration to the raft of logistical issues common to every event will reduce your stress levels, un-clutter your consciousness and leave your mind clear, with an abundance of spare capacity, to explore the opportunities demanding your attention, instead of forcing you to navigate through a haze of trivia.

Surely that’ll enable you, more easily, to come away with a positive outcome, won’t it?

Mark Perl is a leading expert on the subject of Business Networking. He specialises in SME’s, business networking for solicitors, along with CPD training for the legal profession

The Ten Biggest Mistakes of Business Networkers - Part 1

Overview

Whether at sporting events in marquees, at cultural events in renowned theatres or the function rooms of grand hotels, businessmen and women continually replicate the same networking gaffes. What this really tells us is not that they are inept networkers but, simply put, ‘they don’t know what they don’t know!’ This does not at all reflect the individuals’ professional ability, but may have an adverse effect on the potential of finding new business opportunities and creating solid business relationships.

Like anything else, networking is a skill that can be taught and can be learned.

In the heyday of his activity John D Rockerfeller said the ability to deal with people is a purchasable commodity, as coffee or sugar... “and I will pay more for that ability than for any other under the sun.”

Objective

Here, over a series of 10 blogs, we will take a look at the 10 most common blunders I have seen repeated at events across the world. I know you’ll have seen many of them too. My hope is that just being aware of these mistakes will assist you to make improvements in your actions and those of your colleagues.

No1: They don’t know what they are actually doing when out networking?

Generally people think it’s about selling and therefore recoil from even accepting the invitation. The networking process is all about getting people know you, like you and trust you. It’s simply about being who you are... a nice person. Remember that people like to do business with people they like. Also to hold front of mind is not to sell your services or products here. The only thing you should be selling is yourself. For the rest? Let it all come later, in another environment, on another occasion...once you’ve built a relationship. So bring into your consciousness exactly what it is that you’re about to embark upon. That’ll keep you focused and will make things much less stressful for all parties, won’t it?

Mark Perl is a leading expert on the subject of Business Networking. He specialises in SME’s, business networking for solicitors, along with CPD training for the legal profession