Today I want to talk about How to Meet and Connect with People.
So, the first part of meeting people is to go where the people are, this is networking. What type of groups are available to you, industry groups like builder’s associations, architect groups, the Spray Polyurethane Foam Alliance (www.sprayfoam.org); business groups, like the local chamber of commerce or business networking groups on Meetup; or social groups with common interests, like on Meetup or through your local community. I suggest you start by considering:
- What type of people are you looking for?
- What interests do they have?
- Where might they hang out?
And then you can find out what groups are available to you, locally, statewide and nationally.
When you attend these types of networking meetings, you will often be given an opportunity to introduce yourself to the group. Typically it is called a 30-commercial, elevator speech or marketing moment. It may be obvious that you introduce yourself with your name, perhaps the company you represent and maybe a little about what you do, but is that the best way to create connections? Is it memorable? Are you memorable? Or, do you just blend in with everyone else around you?
It can be challenging to go that extra step and be prepared with something different and memorable, but it is worth it. It is worth the connection created, the familiarity generated when someone remembers you from your introduction or from another encounter and it can make setting up meetings easier in the future.
So how should you introduce yourself? Of course, you should share your name and the company you represent, but rather than simply telling what you do, maybe you share an interesting factoid about your industry or some statement of intrigue that could lead to a deeper conversation.
Here are a couple of examples:
Hi, I am Robert Naini with Spray Foam Advisor. I provide training and education for spray foam professionals.
OR
Hi, I am Robert Naini with Spray Foam Advisor. Did you know that 30 days after a lecture the average employee remembers less than 10% of what they learned? If this concerns you, we can help.
Which of these is more interesting?
The next step of networking is one-on-one conversations and sit downs. This is your opportunity to make a connection, build rapport and develop a know, like and trust relationship. These interactions should be like high trust interviews, with high quality conversation that lets you learn about the other person, their motivation, what they do for fun, their goals, challenges and obstacles. The more you learn about them, the better chance you have of finding information and identifying a problem that you or someone you know might be able to help with.
