Are networking events actually worth attending?
I’ve always been curious of what people get from these gatherings. Some people swear by them and others despise them.
I had an epiphany last week during an event that may seem very obvious. There are certain ‘Connector’ personality types that benefit from these gatherings more than most of us.
The epiphany wasn’t that these events were beneficial to some people and not others. It was that I needed to find some Connectors if I wanted to make my attendance pay off.
Who are the Connectors?
They are the professional networkers.
They are the movers & shakers at these events. They can put me in connection with potential clients and they can introduce me to people that share a common interest with me. They know who I should talk to even if they don’t know me.
They have their own permanent badges with their full name, title, and company that they proudly display. They know almost everyone at the events and unlike most of us, they look very relaxed in these situations.
These are all more than likely some type of Connector.
In The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
Tom Rath & the StrengthsFinder 2.0
They intentionally seek out new relationships, even if they’re not incredibly deep ones. They are always meeting new people and they are always in front of others trying to connect the dots.
The Connectors are the people who can connect you to 90% of the people in the room through one handshake, instead of having to shake everyone’s hand individually. The best professional networkers seem to have these connecting qualities.
How are Champions important for my business?
We don’t all have time to attend 3 luncheons each week. And most business owners are reading this shaking their heads saying, “In no way am I a connector, I actually hate most people.”
I get that, I used to be the same way when I worked in retail. It’s hard to go to events like this if you don’t see value in it.
That’s why you should find someone else to do it for you. Someone that is much better at connecting than you are. It’s like sending in a spy with all sorts of information to leak it out into the community.
Can you identify a customer that is well connected in your community? Or maybe an entry level employee that seems to know an abnormal amount of people? What about a fellow family or church member that has extra time and seems to always make new friends?
If any of these people can network more easily than you and they seem to be better connected, consider asking them to go in your place to the next networking event you get an invite to.
If word of mouth is important to your business, you need champions. The best champions are professional networkers.
They may not walk around telling everyone who you are right away with a bull horn. But when the time is right and the conversation has been primed, they will plug you like you deserve.
A 3rd party promotion can be way more beneficial than one coming from a company representative, especially an owner. A 3rd party promotion comes across off as more sincere since the promoter is not technically getting paid to do the promoting.
And when they promote, people listen.
Connecting Topics
Imagine if that current employee you sent to a networking event wore a neon green t-shirt with your logo on the front right next to their pre-made badge. Pretty cool, eh?
That actually sounds ridiculous, I know. I’m not suggesting you buy neon green t-shirts and hand them out to advocates of your brand. What I am suggesting is that you offer those Connectors something to talk about for you.
When you send a Connector into an event as your company’s Champion, they need to have material to talk about. New initiatives that are happening, upcoming projects, or positive things that you’re doing in the community.
This may sound risky to you, or maybe even sound like a waste of time. But if you have high dollar customers, as my new company SOUTH does, the investment made in one person over lunch is easily paid off when they send one customer your way.
If you have lower priced commodity products, like mass produced furniture, everyone is always on the lookout for where to get a good deal. The more people you touch, the better your business will grow.
Identify Connectors in and around your business, recruit them to attend some of these events for you, and give them topics to talk about. Speaking of tactics…
Ideas for Encouraging your Champions
Here are some ways to get individuals to talk about your brand for you.
- Make them VIP
- One time I was ‘awarded’ a Wild Wings VIP card since I frequented the establishment weekly. It was usually to entertain my sales guys or customers and I paid 99% of the time with personal or company funds. They gave me a VIP card that offered me discounts for spending X dollars and I loved it. I told everyone I knew, and it made me come back again and again just to show my card off. I helped spread their business through word of mouth.
- Bribe them
- Yes, that’s a strong word. But it’s a simple concept, give them something for free. It doesn’t have to be huge, it just has to be sincere and transparent. Give them something such as a free upgrade, or a free sample of your product. You want them to have a reason to talk about you in a good light.
- Ask for the ‘sale’
- If you don’t share your intentions, these connectors will never know why they are being treated like royalty. You have to explain that you’re working on a new word of mouth program, that you are looking to show value to the “people of influence” in the community. You’ve pinpointed them as a person of influence and that you would like them to be an advocate of your brand just for being them.
- Don’t ask for specifics
- Inquiring how many cards they give out during a typical networking event is way off the mark. Just tell them that you think they are influential and that you would like to make in impression on them since they hold high standing in the community. Some people will be downright flattered and that alone will make them want to talk about you.
- Don’t waste your time on the wrong people
- Celebrities don’t necessarily equal connectors. You want to find the people who make real connections. If you’ve been to a few of these events, you can easily spot them. They are the ones that you see at multiple venues. They’re the ones who seem to know half the people in the room, and not necessarily because they are speaking.
- Cultivate the relationship
- Take them out for coffee, invite them over for dinner, or ask them go to the beach with you. It doesn’t always have to be about your business, you just need to get them to know you & your brand.
Once you’ve built relationships with the right people, they will do the networking for you. They’ll talk about you at work, on vacations, and at these networking events.
The more of these Connectors you have promoting you, the more business can be sent your way.
If you have enough people out there championing your brand, you don’t have to try and attend every networking event in town. You already have brand advocates out there promoting for you. Which means you can focus on your business and go to events sparingly.
As Gladwell explains in The Tipping Point, word of mouth epidemics are spread only after a Connector gets a hold of an idea. Identify the Connectors and spread your own word of mouth epidemic. That’s how to network like a pro.
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How else can we effectively spread out business through word of mouth?
I look forward to hearing from you below or on Twitter (@mikemccann3), have a great rest of the week!
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