We’ve all been invited to them. In many of us, they cause a weird mix of intrigue and dread. We’re intrigued because we wonder who will be there, and if there might be any potential clients there. We dread them because answering the question “what do you do” can cause stress and frustration, and the thought of being in a room full of complete strangers is enough to make anyone want to stay snug in their jammies at home!

I recently had a conversation with my friend Lisa Hunter. She is very skilled at organizing and attending local networking events and she gave me some excellent insight.

First, she says before you even leave the house, sit and visualize making only 1 or 2 really great connections at the event. This way, you don’t feel pressured to meet absolutely everyone in the room. Set the intention that you want to make 1 or 2 connections that will be absolutely right for you. Lisa says, creating this focus can really do wonders for your experience.

Next, she told me that in addition to her normal marketing collateral (brochure, business card, etc…) she also created a small gift to give to people who she thought might really love her service. In her case, she created a really great little magnet that helps people focus on what they want to manifest. Lisa says that going to these events with a gift made her really excited to meet and talk to people. What a fantastic idea - she gave me permission to steal it I’m currently developing my own magnet themed with my business.

Another tid-bit I find valuable is, to have an exit strategy for conversations with people that might not be a good fit. Sometimes, you get stuck talking to people, and after you both answer “what do you do?” there really isn’t much of a connection. Lisa says to work out what you might say to politely exit the conversation. I love that - because I’ve definitely been in that situation! Having a plan ahead of time makes the exit more comfortable for everyone involved! Some things I do are: introduce the person to someone else that you know, tell the person that it’s been great chatting and you see someone you haven’t seen in a while - and invite them to join you while you catch up with that person, and excuse myself to get another drink or some air.

Lisa also shared an approach she uses to start a conversation with someone you don’t know. She simply walks up to that person and says “I don’t think we’ve met…” I love that! What a warm, connective opening! Instead of thinking of something to say in each instance, that phrase works in every situation, and for everyone that you want to meet. It’s also perfect if you find yourself suddenly alone in a corner.

Have you found yourself at a networking event recently? How did it go for you? I would love to hear other strategies for these type of events - what do you do that works for you?

This entry was posted on Monday, February 11th, 2008 at 7:39 pm and is filed under Marketing, Networking. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.