Networking Art - part 1

Pauline thrust out her jaw, looked somewhere over my shoulder and barked: "I'm the first and only woman to head a commercial realty firm in this area. Anyone who wants to buy, sell or lease works with me."

"OK, " I thought, "what do I say to that?"

When you're at a gathering that's called a 'networking event' how do you get the conversation going?

Try these three steps:
1) Smile, make eye contact, and shake hands
2) Introduce yourself just by your name, saying your first name slowly, perhpas even repeating your first name.
3) Be the first to ask a question. The question should be "Martha, I'm curious, what's the biggest challenge in your business today?"

Now you've set the stage for a dialogue. As Martha talks about the biggest challenge in her business today, you can nod and encourage her with a few quiet comments such as "really?" and "tell me about that."

While you're listening, you're learning whether there is a fit between what you do and the problems she is trying to solve. When she (hopefully) asks you about you, you can talk about your business in terms of her problems. "We help business owners find employees that really fit in the work environment" rather than, "We're a placement firm."

When you do this, you are telling the other person about your business in the only way that's really meaningful--in a way that is about them, not about you.