3 Keys to Make a Positive Impression in Every Networking Event You Attend

 

The Pain of Traditional Networking

You’re at a networking event. It’s time for each attendee to stand up and introduce himself. The first person stands up and says, “Hi. I’m John with Acme Financial. We offer life insurance, IRAs, and tax planning that helps your retirement dream come true. We provide the best service because we care. We put our clients first and we give the best service in the industry. Nobody does it better.”

And the next 12 attendees stand up with nearly identical introductions.

How do you feel about that type of introduction?

When I ask that question in webinars and workshops, the answers I hear are, “unimaginative boring and don’t make me want to talk to that person.”

No matter which industry they are in, these individuals sound like nearly every who stands up and gives their introduction.

This is a pet peeve of mine. As soon as people start to list their products or services, I mentally check out. When they tell me how superior their service is, I want to run from the room.

What’s Missing From the Typical Networking Message?

I don’t write this because I feel superior. I write it because for years I did the same thing, with poor results. I know the frustration of driving to events and getting poor results. The frustration is no less if you attend online meetings and don’t fare any better.

Also, I realize because of what I do for a living as a communications consultant, author, and speaker, I’m more sensitive to it.

But, no matter what your background, when somebody is taking your time, they need to tell you one thing in particular:

How can you make my life better?

When people first meet us, that’s what they need to know before you tell them anything about you or your business.

As I just mentioned, I made the mistake of not answering this question when I was a Certified Financial Planner.

One day, one of my mentors pointed out that there’s a better way — assuming that I wanted people at these events to seek me out to meet with me.

A Proven Networking Message — in Just 26 Seconds

How do you present an effective networking message in 26 seconds?

Read mine, and then you’ll see a quick overview of the format I use. There’s a proven formula you can utilize that will get you better results.

Here’s my introduction…..

Most business leaders know public speaking is an important skill. And many work hard to create meaningful presentations.

But, most of them fail to leave a lasting impact when they speak. This leads to frustration and disillusionment.

So, I started speaking CPR to help leaders with a proven process that enables them to speak with confidence, impact, and influence every time whether they’re online or in person.

That’s it.

Why Does This Work?

It’s a simple formula that answers three simple questions.

Let’s deconstruct the formula.

Question 1 — Who do you help?

This introduces the specific type of person you help. For me, it’s business leaders.

Depending on the group, I can be more specific — Company CEOs, Sales Managers, Solo-preneurs Making Six Figures.

The more specific you can be, the better for your audience to get a clear picture of help

Question 2 — What specific problem do you solve?

This should be a common problem your ideal client faces. For my target groups, it’s the struggle they face whenever they stand up before a group or a camera and give a presentation.

Question 3 — What benefit will I receive if I work with you?

For me, clients discover how to present with confidence, impact, and influence. And they can do this whether they’re speaking virtually to a camera or to a live group of people.

In five sentences and 26 seconds, I have piqued their curiosity, told them specifically who I help, the problem that type of person faces, and the eventual benefit they can realize if they hire me.

That’s all I need to say. Virtually everything in that introduction is geared toward the listener, not me.

Why Most Networking Introductions Fail

The most common mistake people make with their networking introduction is they treat it like a business brochure or website.

If you take nothing else from this post, remember this:

People whom you’ve just met don’t care about you. They want to know if you can reduce the stress, struggles, or strife they (or the people in their network) are currently dealing with.

Once they have that answer, then they’re open to learning more about you and sharing more of their personal background.

By the way, HOW you do your work is also unimportant when you first meet. If others are intrigued by the benefits and value you can provide, they’ll ask you how — later.

The purpose of your networking message should be this:

To get people interested in talking to you. It’s not to sell your product or service on the spot. That’s not going to happen. This is about navigating through all of the network and marketing knowledge is that in their heads so that you can create interest in scheduling time to talk with you one-on-one.

Again, here’s the formula:

Question 1 — Who do you help?

Question 2 — What specific problem do you solve?

Question 3 — What benefit will I receive if I work with you?

Use this format. It works. Your networking experiences will become more enjoyable. And you’ll experience better results.

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