Yesterday, I had a conversation with a participant in my Sales Course about the importance of networking before generating sales. The challenge is that my client is an introvert, and all those "life of the party" types who gather crowds of fans seem excessively... intense to my guy 😩
The advice I usually give: remember that a strong network is a social capital that stays with you throughout your life. Therefore, the process of building it is not mass-oriented but rather oriented on depth and quality.
When you plan to visit an event next time, consider doing the following:
1. Identify 3-5 people from the participant list who genuinely intrigue you.
2. Prepare for a conversation (literally, think about topics of conversation).
3. Engage with them at the event, using the information you've gathered.
4. Try to bring value to their personal space with your intrusion.
5.VERY IMPORTANT: Enjoy the rest of the party without any networking.
6. Go home and document everything you learned about your new friends.
7. Send follow-up messages the next day, and...
8. Keep following up FOR YEARS, gradually improving the quality of your interaction.
Other things to remember:
For systematic relationship building, you need a Personal CRM (Clay, Covve, Dex - some of the best). Don't hesitate to "delegate relationships to technology." You can't imagine how many times I've delighted someone by mentioning an important fact for them a year after our conversation. 🙂
I mentioned point 5 (above) for a reason. If you find enjoyment in the event without nervously chasing after star speakers, you'll stop fearing such events and start attending them regularly without being exhausted after.
Soon, you'll notice that the "unreachable star of the evening" TODAY is just one of the regular attendees at another event TOMORROW. That's why you don't need to chase after them - you'll find them sitting in the next chair next time.
Good luck with networking!
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