Remember the human beings sitting right next to you!

As tweeting and facebooking becomes more the norm at networking events and conferences, social media is starting to affect people’s sociability.  I’m sure we’ve all tutted at some point or another at the growing concerns that children spend more and more time glued to some form of screen.  But have you stopped and looked around you at the last networking event or conference you were at?

The adults are all doing it too!

I was an all day event last week.  Drove up to Birmingham and there must have been 50 odd people in the room, all coming from near and far.  We were all there to learn about marketing and come away with business ideas, so it wasn’t your typical networking event.  But networking was still to be had as we milled around, drinking coffee, waiting for the event to start at 10am.

As I looked around the room, I was amazed as I counted a dozen or so people engrossed in their phones.  Whether they were tweeting, checking emails or just adding their Farmville estate – I don’t know.  But these tiny glowing screens where sucking the sociability out of them.

Sure, a few of these guys would have been nervous, possibly one of the first few events they had been to as a business owner. I remember that feeling of “Oh gawd, I feel like a fraud.  No one is going to believe that I am capable of working for myself!!” and hanging around the coffee table, smiling nervously at anyone who would care to glance my way.  But these blessed smart phones are creating the perfect excuse to hide.  To avoid jumping in at the deep end and introducing yourself to someone … who may just be your next client.  Or at the very least, may know someone who could be your next client.

Two years ago, tweeting and facebooking was a novelty at events like these.  The very fact you were on your phone updating one or two of your social profiles created a conversation point.  Others craning their necks to see what you were doing and you were able to share your knowledge on how these tools worked.

But now, everyone has Twitter account (although they may not know what to do with it!!).  I love social media – don’t get me wrong.  It’s now become an integral part of many small businesses marketing strategies.  And tweeting and facebooking during events can be a useful networking exercise … in moderation.

The excuse of being able to tweet from a live event so that you can share with your countless online friends what and where you are, only distracts from the very essence of what you could be doing … interacting with some real, live people.

Look up from your smartphone screens, people!  Don’t play in your virtual world when you have real, live potential contacts and clients right there in that room with you.

Photo credit:  Adam Timworth

Pick a card ... any card!

The problem with face-to-face networking is that in can be a complete waste of time.  And a complete waste of a lot of your time.

A networking lunch may only be two hours, but what if you have spent the best part an hour getting there and then travelling back after the event.  Early morning breakfasts may feel like a good use of time, but getting up at 6am just so you can talk business over a croissant and a coffee before getting down to work at 9am, may leave you feeling knackered by 4pm.

It’s the dilemma many small business owners face.  Do you take out time of your busy week to shake hands with potential clients and referral partners?  Or spend time back in the office and risk the sudden end of your pipeline, with no leads of new contracts?

Now, I am a big fan of face-to-face networking.  I know I spend most of my time here on my blog writing about the virtues of LinkedIn, Twitter and other web tech marketing tools, but it’s just as important to spend time meeting people in RL (yup, that stands for Real Life!) as it is to engage with people virtually and build your online brand.

So how do you make sure your RL networking beings you more than a bucket full of business cards, gathering dust under your desk?

1. Be clear on your objectives:  Once you’ve got confident about walking in to a room ful of strangers, you need to take a step back and decide on what you want to get out of your networking events.  ”Getting more clients” may be your long term objective, but it’s just not specific enough for giving you focus on each event.Are you looking for referral partners?  Do you want to be introduced to contacts to help you with research for a new product?  Are you looking for a new distributor or graphic designer?
2. Be clear on who you want to meet:  Standing up and saying you want “more clients” is just not going to help the other people in the room.  They will end up just passing on names and numbers of anyone just so they can meet their referral targets that month.The more specific you are, the easier it will be for others to help you – Finance Directors from the healthcare industry, parents who struggling getting their kids through GSCEs and A Levels, online retailers who are looking for a new stock and invoicing systems.  You get the drift.  Explain exactly who you want to be introduced to.

   And yes, it can be a different person you are looking for at each meeting.  Mix it up each month and help your fellow networkers come up with new and relevant contacts for you.

3. Be clear on what you deliver: Too many of you go off to networking events and end up boring poor souls on the technical details of what you do.  It’s not what you actually do … it’s the results that you offer is what interests others.  So what if the 3 month programme you run for managers is broken down in to online modules – how much money can you make or save the business who puts their managers through this programme?  Results, not benefits!
4. Be clear on what you can do for others in the networking group: Networking is not one-sided.  It’s not about collecting business cards and adding them to your mailing list in the hope that one day, someone may buy from you.  Networking works because of the work you put in.  Helping others achieve what they’ve set out to do, and you will find that others will return the favour.  I’m not suggesting you focus all your efforts on other people’s goals but one good turn does deserve another.  Try it

Take the time to plan your networking strategy and be specific about the type of person you want to be speaking to, and RL networking can deliver results for you.

Plus it’s good to get away from our computers from time to time and meet people in RL!

Photo by dground

There’s lots to do to market your business, isn’t there?  There’s stuff that you can do for free, like Twitter or Facebook.  There’s stuff that costs a little like networking and websites. And there’s stuff that costs lots like direct mailings and advertising.

But even though the amount of money you have to spend can go up aswell as down, there is a more valuable commodity that you will never have enough of.

Time!

It doesn’t matter how good your time management is, you will always have exactly the same amount of time as everyone else.  60 minutes in an hour.  24 hours in a day.  7 days a week.

Your competitors may have fatter wallets to spend from on their marketing but you are all on the same playing field when it comes to time.

And as a small business owner, who notoriously never has enough time in any given week, you need to make sure that the time you spend on your marketing activities is time very well spent!

So why do you still try to attract each new client one by one?

Too many of you focus your marketing activities on attracting individual clients.

Let me give you an example.  Business owners who sell services such as coaching or graphic design often use face-to-face networking as a marketing strategy.  This can never work for them long term because they go to a networking event with the sole intent of finding a new customer.  Even if the event may only cost them £20 or so, a networking event could take at least 4 hours out of your day.  Work out what your hourly rate is and each new client lead could be costing you £200 minimum.

If you convert 1 out of every 3 leads (I’m being generous here!!) that’s £600 per new customer.  And if an average customer spends less than a £1,000 with you, your profitablity margin stinks!

I know, I know – I have used pretty basic sums here and your hourly rate may be much higher than £50 and your average client spend could be £10,000 or more.

But I wanted to make a point here.  Face-to-face networking is important to build relationships and, to be honest, get you out of the office before you go mad and start talking to the plants!  I make the time to go to certain networking events and make it a part of my working month.  But to focus on face-to-face networking as one of your main marketing strategies is not going to work.

Stop chasing the one to one approach and focus your efforts on the one to many.

You can spend your time far more wisely by focusing your efforts of getting in front of groups of your target clients.

Speaking, article writing, affiliate relationships, running live events – these all focus on one to many.  And which approach you take depends on what you enjoy, what you are good at and where your target clients hang out.

Answer these questions and they’ll help understand which approach to take.

Question One: Where do your target clients hang out? This can be online or live events up and down the country.

Question Two:  What do your target clients read? Again, on and offline – blogs, trade publications, magazines.

Question Three:  What communications are you good at? Speaking is my favourite way of reaching out to people but I know getting up in front of an audience is not everyone’s cup of tea!  So if you don’t want to speak, can you develop your writing? Can you run virtual events?  Would you be good in front of the camera? Even perhaps do you need someone else to be the voice for your business?

Question Four:  Who has an influence on your target clients? Who already has a big Twitter following? Who already has a large mailing list, blog readers, subscription list?  Who runs the large events or heads up groups and associations?

Use the answers to these questions to help you decide on how you are going to get in front of groups of your target clients.  Whether it’s a campaign to get you speaking gigs over the next year or a plan to build an affiliate programme – you decide.

Just as long as it’s marketing one to many – and not one to one!

Do people judge a book by its cover?

Most of us have been taught to never pre-judge people and to always look beyond someone’s appearance before casting an opinion.  And yes, in society this is certainly how I like to be treated.

But, in business, we often find ourselves making snap decisions.

You meet a stranger at a networking event and BAM – you just can’t help it.  The way they shook hands with you, the way they did (or didn’t) look you in the eye and the way they said their name – all these things are immediately processed and an instant judgement is made on whether you want to stick around and carry on the conversation.

Statistics say that, on average, what you actually say contributes just 7% to how someone perceives you.  38% comes from the way you say your words and a massive 55% is affected by your appearance.

Scary isn’t it?

When we start out in business, we often worry so much about what we actually say when go out and network and present ourselves to prospective clients.  But from these statistics (and just look at how you react to people you meet in business for the first time) what we actually say slips rapidly down the priority list.

The way you say things and the way you present yourself, both in terms of clothing and body language, are incredibly important factors to how your personal brand is interpreted.

And your personal brand is an incredibly important factor when it comes to attracting clients.

Imagine two nutritional therapists standing up to speak at a networking event.  They both offer the same elevator speech in that they work with clients on a 1-2-1 basis to help them lose weight and feel healthier.

One nutritional therapist is nicely slim (not lollipop-model!), well groomed and has a clear complexion.  The other seems to be wearing ill-fitting trousers (two sizes too small), has a huge spot in the middle of her forehead and looks slightly out-of-breath having walked up two flights of stairs.

OK, I’m being a little extreme to make my point here but Which one are you going to “judge” to be the “better” nutritional therapist?

So what’s your book cover saying to people?

What is your appearance, your body language and your speech patterns saying about your business?

Understanding your personal brand and identifying how people perceive you and your business, can be daunting.  But it’s got to be done! Take time out to check yourself out in the mirror before leaving for your next networking event.

LinkedIn is proving to be one of the more popular social networks for business; a safe haven where “normal” business rules seem to apply.

Facebook is great for your “water-cooler” chat and sharing photos. Twitter works for the “cocktail hour” chat, buzzing with link sharing and playful banter.  But LinkedIn is the platform that many professionals and business owners feel “safe” online.

LinkedIn is your suited-and-booted business networking environment where people are there to talk business.  And more and more of you are signing up.

But, for some reason, most business owners seem to think of their LinkedIn networking as a completely separate activity from their “real” face-to-face networking.  Once you are sat in front of your PC, it’s easy to slip into virtual mode, isn’t it?

But if you make the time for “real” networking, how often do you look up the people you’ve met on an online network such as LinkedIn?

Virtual relationship building does work.  But what really turns up the power on your virtual networking is making is real.  And what better way of making it real than by reaching out and connecting with people you’ve already met.

It’s quite simple really and yet very few people I meet at networking events do it.  After each event, look up the people you’ve met and wish to build upon that initial meeting and invite them to connect on LinkedIn.

Your online world becomes much friendlier and works far better for you when you link it up to your offline one.

Have you got any more LinkedIn tips? Leave a comment and share your thoughts

Networking is one of the most effective forms of marketing, especially when you run your own business.  Even with the explosion of sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn, nothing quite beats being able to get in front of “real” people, shaking them by the hand and having a face-to-face conversation.

But, let’s be honest here.  The big downside of networking is time.  There are only so many hours in a working week and, although it is very easy to attend networking events from breakfast right through to evening drinks, it doesn’t allow you, the business owner, much time to manage your day-to-day business.

One of the best definitions of successful networking I have come across is “being talked about when you’re not in the room.”

So if this creates an opportunity to use the power of networking without physically networking,, how can you come up in these conversations?

The secret to this is in what you offer.

Getting yourself talked about is not about defining yourself with a job title but helping others clearly understand how you may benefit specific people.  And the clearer and more specific you are in what problems you there to solve, the easier it is for people to bring you up in conversation.

That’s right – I’m talking niches here!

Let me give you an example:  Coaching.

You can’t go to a networking event without bumping in to at least 2 or 3 coaches in the room, can you?  And what do they all tell you what it is they do?  Yup, that’s right – coaching.

But what makes them stand out from each other?  Not an awful lot, to be honest.

Now, don’t get me wrong.  I am sure that a lot of coaches are lovely people!  And yes, some of them say they are career coaches, business coaches or help people with their work/life balance.

But come one – how many coaches have you met in the last few weeks who stand out enough for you to have specifically talked about them to someone else?

Let me ask you another question.  Of the people you have met over the last few weeks, who have you talked about to other people?  And let’s go one stage further.  Who have you talked about to someone else, only to find that 2 other people also know their name?

How powerful is that?  Instant social proof that this person must be someone to be contacted if not just one person mentions them, but 2 others do as well.

More often than not, the real reason behind you remembering this person is because they were “niche” enough for you trigger a “oh, really – that’s interesting”.

They were “niche” enough for you to check them out on LinkedIn or have a read of their blog when you were back in your office.  Perhaps they were even “niche” enough for you to sign up for their newsletter or follow them on Twitter.

Telling people what you do is not enough to get you remembered.  And being “niche” enough is not just about targeting a particular client type.

Being “niche” enough is about being able to clearly define yourself in terms of what problems you solve and the results that your clients achieve.  The more specific and niche you are in the results you create, the easier it is for someone to “get you”.  And thus talk about you.

And remember, it’s not just about the conversations that happen in networking events.  The share-ability of social media makes you being talked about online even more powerful.  Someone’s comments about you become evergreen, staying right there for others to read and share too.

So stop telling people about what it is you “do”.  And start getting clearer on your “niche” so that others remember the problems you solve and the results you create.

Got a comment to make? I’d love to read your thoughts and ideas

Networking can be such a successful marketing strategy for many small business owners, but when done half-cut it can be more of a case of not-working rather than networking.

Following up on the people you met and business cards you exchanged is critical to starting the relationship building process.

It’s all very well collecting business cards and shoving them in to a rolodex on your desk thinking you have a great network of contacts, but if you relationship hasn’t gone further than that initial handshake and first conversation, it is unlikely the person will be an advocate/client/contact for you in the future – they just may not remember you!

With everyone you meet, follow up with an email – preferably within 24 hours.

“Hi Jo. It was great to meet you at ABC lunch yesterday.  I really enjoyed our discussion on XYZ and liked the approach of your business.  I will certainly pass on your contact details to anyone who may need your services.  By the way, if you or anyone in your network needs help with 123, then do pass them my web address.  Look forward to seeing you sometime in the future, Warm regards Alex”

Leave any “selling” out, include a link in your email signature to a particular product if appropriate and that’s about it.  How hard is that?

Got any more networking tips? Leave a comment below