Today I kick of a series of posts that address my main avenue of generating business, professional networking. Although I did 10 years of sales and marketing back at my old job in New York, I never pressed the envelope as aggressively as I have in the past year when I got started in merchant services sales. Having launched my own business in mid January, I have taken my networking activities to yet another level.
I by no means profess to know everything about networking, but I have definitely picked up some very helpful bits of wisdom along the way that I would like to share in hopes of assisting others in getting the most out of their networking activities.
Professional networking tip #1 is "It's Called Networking Not Net Sitting!"
Just about every time I've visited a prospect or client's office it always begins with an offer for a coffee, soda, or a water. I prefer water for most meetings, unless we are out meeting at a Starbucks, but I digress. The point of business meetings, however, is not to drink the coffee, water or soda, but rather to discuss business matters whether they be a sales pitch, ways of working with one another, project and planning details, etc. The conversation and dialog among the meeting participants is primary and hopefully moves parties towards a mutually desirable objective.
Similar to a business meeting, professional networking events are meant to facilitate dialog and conversation among attendees. However, these events tend to have a broader scope, lean more towards the social networking end of the spectrum, and are often tied to breakfast, lunch, or some kind of happy hour. This is great to the extent that it sets the stage for people to introduce themselves to absolute strangers, or people that they may have seen around but just that familiar with. So, most people will be in agreement that the point of the networking function meet new people or get to know people a little better, and the more the merrier.
Nonetheless, rather than networking, I often see people make the mistake of "net sitting." They will find a table, a chair, or some peripheral area "out of the loop" and sit down, most often with people that they see at the office every day, or very frequently. This is often followed next by "net eating" and "net drinking" which is fine, but once again what's the point of going to a networking event if you are just going to drink and eat with people you already know pretty well and can meet on your own time.
When I go to networking events, even the ones that I help manage, I am on my feet the entire time unless a sit down meal is part of the program like a formal luncheon with a speaker. Some people have commented that I am never in one place for long and am constantly moving around from person to person. That is a fair assessment, because my focus at networking events is on meeting people I don't know yet and finding out more about them. Sales and networking is a numbers game and the more people you speak with the better your odds of success. Even if I am talking with people I already know pretty well, I make it a point to remain standing and stay as approachable as possible.
If you sit down at a networking event, you make yourself less approachable. If you go to a networking event, sit at a table with friends, and order a meal, you are definitely not approaching people and you've made yourself unapproachable too all but the most presumptuous of strangers. When was the last time you introduced yourself to a person sitting down at a table with company chowing down on food, and how did that go?
The point of networking in general is to grow and enhance your sphere of influence. Networking functions like happy hours are the bread and butter of this activity, but it's not about the food, it's about the dialog. Stand up and be heard, as a closed mouth does not get fed and unless you expect business to be served to you on a silver platter you need to let your feet put you in the best position to succeed.
Napoleon Butic is the CEO and founder of Trout Payment Systems, a merchant services provider focused on hooking Houston area businesses up with the best deals and service on debit/credit card processing. For more information visit troutpays.com or like our Facebook Page. https://www.facebook.com/TroutPaymentSystems
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