By: Robert Graves, MBA, DCT

When you go to a networking event, the power of your interpersonal skills can make the difference between it being a wonderful success or a time-waster. Engaging others quickly and keeping them engaged throughout your conversation is the key to success. 

Let’s set some goals and outcomes for networking success that will find new clients.

What would success look like to you? Maybe your desire is to increase your personal effectiveness in engagement techniques, which will make your networking efforts more worthwhile. An outcome would be to set client meetings from your time networking at events. 

We will use some principles found in Dale Carnegie’s Golden Book that will guide us in being more successful. (Email Robert.Graves@DaleCarnegie.com for a pdf copy of the Golden Book.)

Two reasons to network are: 

(1) Networking to Build Your Personal Brand and 

(2) Networking to Promote Your Organization. 

When your networking is highly focused, you should achieve both easily.

Networking to Build Your Personal Brand 

A recent poll by Inc.com found that 48% of their readers believed that personal connections are the primary factor that most often leads to getting ahead in an organization. Developing your personal brand is critical to building your network. Personal branding gives you an edge to make an outstanding impression.

Personal branding is the message you send and the message that others receive about you. Take a moment to answer the following questions:

• How do you want to stand out from the crowd and have people remember you? 
• Do you want to be known as a problem solver, an outstanding team member, a diplomatic change agent? 
• Do you want to be perceived as polished, professional, and friendly? 

For others to receive your intended message, it must be genuine and authentic. Dale Carnegie said it this way, “Become genuinely interested in other people.”

A personal network is an excellent source of information and ideas about events, trends, opportunities, and industry news. Consider how you can strengthen your first impression, develop a Personal Branding Statement, and build your relationship skills to add to your personal and business network. 

Here is a list of objectives for you to work on when you go networking to build your personal brand: 

• Make a stronger first impression when building your professional network 
• Develop a flexible and authentic Personal Branding Statement 
• Make the most of professional connections 
• Use the relationship linking technique to add to your network

Networking to Promote Your Organization 

In a time when organizations are running leaner, individuals from all ranks must maximize their value, create mutually beneficial partnerships, sell their organization’s benefits, and increase business connections. 

Although networking is often equated with the sales profession, the ability to network has been identified as an essential skill for business success, regardless of occupation. Every employee is a face of the organization for others to see.

Networking is defined as discovering connections between people in formal or informal settings and utilizing these connections for mutually beneficial career advancement. Work on acquiring the tools for building networking skills and maximizing networking events. 

These tools include learning how to make memorable introductions and using pre-approach to prepare for networking events. Before you go to your next event, consider how you can: 

• create an effective introduction, 
• learn conversation tips for starting conversations, 
• moving on to other people, 
• keeping conversations going, and 
• asking for referrals. 

You should walk into the event with a networking plan of action. Let’s consider some key steps to create a networking plan of action that could lead you to more business from your efforts:

• Starting the Conversation
• Building the Relationship
• Setting the Appointment
• Capturing the Information

Starting the Conversation

When someone asks you, “what do you do” at a networking event, how do you typically answer? Do you rattle off a job description or list a bunch of facts about your company? Neither one will elicit much of a positive response because you are making statements about yourself or your company. You have left out the most important person in this conversation, the potential client, right from the start.

An easy way to include them is to change your statements into questions which will give them a chance to reply in the affirmative. What is a professional way to start your introduction of yourself and your company? Consider starting your introductory remarks with the following question:

“Do you know when a company is looking for (one thing your company does well)? That’s what we do!”  

This will get their head nodding in agreement, since they will understand what you do for a living. Now that you have them in an agreeable mood, work on deepening the budding business relationship.

Building the Relationship

Now is not the time to tell them all about yourself; that comes later. Instead, engage them with questions that encourage them to tell their story. Dale Carnegie admonishes us to “be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.”

Your goal is to decide if this person is a prospect or not. If you determine that they are not a prospect for business, then converse with them politely before moving on to another person. If you decide that there is a potential for business with this person, then set a future appointment to talk business.

Setting the Appointment

Appointment setting is the real reason for showing up. The more meetings you set, the higher the likelihood you will do more business from these chance encounters. 

Many ask, “when do I set the appointment?” One answer is when you have asked enough questions about them to determine there is potential for business. Networking becomes you finding new business for your company by talking “in terms of the other person’s interests,” according to Dale Carnegie.

A quick way to set a meeting is to say, “It sounds like we have a lot in common. Let’s set up a meeting next week.” Because the whole conversation has been about them and what they do, they should agree to a further meeting.

Capturing the Information

Now that you have your meeting set, you can graciously finish your conversation to be able to move on to the next person. Before you talk to the next person, though, take a minute to jot down some notes about what you found out and when you will meet. That way you do not have to rely on your memory.

Consider making notes on the back of their business card. Or even carrying a very small note pad just for this purpose.

Going into a networking event with an action plan and goal in mind will increase your business opportunities quickly. This feeling of success will boost your self-confidence, also.

NOTE: If you would like further information on the “Networking for Success” online workshop, reach out to Robert.Graves@DaleCarnegie.com for details.

About the Author

Robert Graves, MBA, is a Dale Carnegie Certified Trainer for Dale Carnegie Tampa Bay. His focus is Relationship Selling. He is the author of “Making More Money with Technology.” He often speaks on the evolution of Marketing, Sales, and Service. Robert can be reached at robert.graves@dalecarnegie.com or call/text 813-966-3058.