Business Networking isn't Scary

Why do we find it difficult to talk to strangers?

I've been to a couple of networking events in the last week - the Business South trade show and a Business Link meeting in my home town.

At both I heard a clear message being presented - people are reluctant to engage. Business Link's speaker, ex-BBC man Roy Sheppard, was blunt about it. "Most of you want to run away at this point," he said, when we were asked to talk to someone we didn't know.

He was making a joke but the fact that over forty business people turned out to hear him explain how to network effectively was proof that it's not a skill many of us are comfortable with. And our town was only one stop on a road show of multiple venues in the south.

At Business South I watched the usual dance between exhibitors and visitors - the former lying in wait at their stalls, trying to catch the eye of passers-by and inject a quick "hello" to open a conversation; the latter scurrying past with their eyes firmly fixed on something in the distance.

I'm sure that part of the mystery and worry about networking is because we don't have a clear understanding of why we do it. There's an expectation, often self-imposed, that networking is a very thin veneer for selling. And most of us don't enjoy selling.

My approach to networking is not to proactively promote what I do. I want to hear what people have to say to me, which may include their sales pitch. I listen politely and ask questions about what they do and why. I demonstrate interest but make no promises. If I think I can share their information with someone who'd genuinely find it useful, I tell them so. I don't offer them a business card but I'll give one if they ask, which is quite often.

Inevitably when someone is talking to me they'll ask what I do, so I tell them and I explain the benefits of copywriting to businesses. I believe they listen more attentively because they've invited me to speak and they usually ask more questions and, at some point, request a card.

For me networking is about building a web of contacts. I can't predict what value they'll be to me in the future, nor I to them.

But one thing I do know: if I never make the effort to speak to them I'll never become a part of their network, nor they of mine. So ideally I want to talk to everyone, and I suggest that you do too.

Article by Andrew Knowles, freelance copywriter.

How to Maximise Impact at a Trade Show

Are you planning to have a stand at a trade show or promotional exhibition?

If you are, you want to ensure that you get the best value from your investment of time and money. Setting up and running a stand is relatively easy - successfully promoting your brand and generating valuable leads can be much more difficult.

Here are ten tips for getting the best from a trade show or business exhibition, based on experience as both an exhibitor and attendee.

1. Visit an event as part of your planning. Go to a trade show as a visitor to critically assess how the exhibitors are running their stands. See what appears to work and what doesn't, what you like and what you don't like. Ideally go with someone else to get a broader range of views.

2. Set clear and measurable objectives. You need to find ways to measure the benefit of exhibiting, with the most obvious being the number of leads generated. Other measures to support this could be the number of people spoken to or even the number of business cards collected. Set targets, both daily and for the entire event.

3. Make it look good. Your stand's appearance, even if it's a tiny booth, is part of your marketing message. If it looks cheap, what does that say about your business? Professionally produced graphics and a consistent appearance will make a huge difference. By saving a few pounds on your marketing material you could be losing a lot more in missed opportunities.

4. Have a clear and immediate benefit statement. Make it obvious what problem your product solves and how it can help customers. Most trade show stands are headlined with company names and a summary of what they do, and if you speak to someone on the stand they repeat the same information. A great way to start is by asking a question, such as: would you like to save money on [whatever problem your product solves]? The answer's always going to be 'yes', allowing you to take the conversation further.

5. Proactively greet people as they pass. If lots of visitors seek you out and keep you busy, that's great. But if not, you need to find a way of keeping your stand busy and engaging with visitors who'd otherwise walk past. A friendly 'hello' is often all it takes to catch someone's attention and make them stop, and it's better to engage with people than waiting hopefully for someone to stop for you.

6. Make giveaways available to anyone. One objective of exhibiting is to build your brand and you never know whether today's casual visitor could become tomorrow's potential customer. Everyone you engage with should leave feeling good about your business and if that means offering them a branded pen or the chance to enter your prize draw, then do it.

7. Engage with competitors. A business exhibition is a great way to find out what the competition's up to and to share experiences. You can probably learn from them, but expect them to reciprocate!

8. Don't eat smelly food at your stand. It might seem obvious, but when you're busy it's tempting to take that hot snack back to the exhibition hall. How will the next visitor to the stand feel when you offer a greasy handshake and brush the pastry crumbs from your lapel?

9. Make every visitor feel important. You're at the show to look for leads and build your brand but these require different skills. Looking for leads means focusing on people who may want your product while strengthening the brand means leaving everyone feeling positive about who you are. Don't qualify out people as you talk to them and starting looking over their shoulder for the next prospect. Your body language tells them you're not interested in them and that will devalue your brand.

10. Have a formal debrief and record how it went. Once you're back in the office it's easy to put the trade show behind you and focus on following up the leads. Take time to sit down with colleagues and record what worked and what didn't and any other lessons you learned from the show. This will be an invaluable resource next time around.