How To Sell at Networking Events - Bob Etherington Sales Trainer

It is a scientifically verifiable fact that, to be sure of business success you need to get to know more people. Therefore networking events offer you a really great opportunity to meet a lot of new people at once and thereby succeed at filtering and finding more new customers quickly. 

Wasted opportunity to network

 

However, these events are a wasted opportunity for the vast majority of networkers because they clearly don’t know how to network.

For a start, judging by the number of business cards I end up with after most events, the main objective of 95% of networkers seems to be to hand out as many business cards as possible. A sort of crazy numbers-game logic must be filling their heads. Trouble is when I get home I can’t remember most of them and their business cards don’t give much of a clue to what they might do for me either.

Additionally most networkers – in between munching their canapés and sipping their drinks – tell me a lot about whom they ‘are’ and what they ‘do’. Instead, they should be attempting to find out about my problems and how they will be able to help me fix them. And we know (don’t we?) that ‘telling’ is a very poor way to persuade anyone to do anything.

A Refined Approach

 

This deep desire to hand out business cards however, actually suits my main purpose as a networker; because I ‘vacuum’ business cards. I do take my own business cards to networking events but my main objective is not ‘giving out’ but ‘collecting’ them from other business people. 

Interesting ones from people who seem to have the types of problems my business can fix are quickly marked and pocketed to be added to my database later.

Even more interesting are those from people who, with a bit of chatty questioning, (see previous blogs) quickly admit they have big compelling problems which need fixing. If those people don’t ask me- there and then- to call them the very next day I will make contact anyway. 

People with problems make great prospects.

All those with potential and actual problems are added to my ever growing list of contacts, acquaintances, vague acquaintances and friends who I stand more of a chance of doing business with than any other purchased list- they have already shown interest because they have the type of problems I can fix.

And they hear from me regularly too; by far the biggest reason you lose customers and prospects is that they forget about you… so you must stay in touch.

Following Up After Events

 

And this brings me neatly to the final networking tragedy: failure by the majority to ‘follow-up’ when potential business is under their noses.

In the past year I have told various copywriters, book-keepers and printers I’ve met at networking events that I would really like a call from them because I do have the type of problem they could fix. Guess how many have ever followed-up? …Zero.

They should remember Woody Allen’s spot-on advice: “80% of success is just showing up”

Bob Etherington
http://www.bobetheringtongroup.com