Enterprise Nation

You walk into a networking event all positive and energised and ready to start networking your way to success. As you walk through the doors you look up to see a crowded roomful of strangers, most of them in groups chatting merrily away to each other. You suddenly realise you don’t recognise anyone at the event. Don’t panic. Lauretta Wright, is here to be your networking fairy godmother. 

First things first

Be calm! You are at the event to make friends and learn about other people – not sell your product or service, so there’s nothing to be worried about.

If nerves are kicking in, grab yourself a drink then take the opportunity to scan the room, taking in your surroundings. When you have spotted someone that has caught your eye, use some cunning body language to “talk” to that person. A quick raise of the eyebrows and a smile says “Hi, I’d like to have a chat with you.” Then approach that person or group.

If you are uncomfortable doing this the best piece of advice would be to approach the host of the event and tell them you haven’t met anyone before – and could they introduce you to someone. Any good host will go out of their way to ensure you are comfortable at an event.

Most people start with a quick introduction “Hi I’m Rob I thought I would say hello” or “I’m Charlotte. I hope you don’t mind but I thought I would introduce myself”

The key when networking is to ask questions that will get the other person talking. There’s a few quick opener questions you can fire off such as: What brings you to this seminar? How are you finding it here today? How do you know the host? Have you been to this event before? and Are you local or did you come far?

Common gripes are a common way of keeping conversation going –  “The traffic was bad this morning”…”What awful weather we’re having!” These are fine as passing comments but be careful not to spend too long on highlighting them – you’ll come across as someone who is very negative, making you sound off-putting.

Following the quick openers, there’s what I call the three stages in asking questions: Jump Start questions which are the types of questions you ask when you first meet someone to determine what line of work they do; Third Gear questions which enable you to gather details about the person you are speaking with; and finally the Cruise Control questions, which are the questions you ask when you have built a rapport and want to explore ways of working together or helping one another. 

Here’s some examples:

Jump-start questions

• What do you do?
• How long have you done it?
• What did you do before?
• What made you choose your profession?

Third Gear questions

• How did you get into that line of business?
• Who do you work for? 
• What are your goals for the next 12 months and who are you looking to meet to help achieve those goals?
• Where do you think your industry is going?
• What do you enjoy about your work and are there things you wish you could change?

Asking questions that gather information will allow you to get to know someone on a more personal level and further opens up the possibility that you can both have a relationship outside of the typical networking relationship.

If possible, when people are talking try to link the other person’s responses to your own experience. For example if someone tells you they are an architect and you have a nephew who is thinking about studying architecture at university, ask them what advice they would have for him.

Cruise Control questions

• What can I do to help your business grow?
• How do you think we  can mutually work together?
• So that I know who is a good referral for you, what would I hear your ideal client say?
• What is the best way to refer someone to you?

There’s nothing lost by asking these questions and people will be flattered you want to get involved with them – especially as you get good vibes from someone.

Finally

The most important point when asking questions? Learn to Listen. When you listen carefully, you start learning how to spot opportunities. You’re looking to build a rapport and spot opportunities for a mutually beneficial relationship. So relax, be confident, be interested and be interesting!

• Lauretta Wright is Founder of www.cuttothechasenetworking.com
• How to Speed Network, Lauretta Wright