I am not a “sales guy”. I probably look at business development,
marketing, or networking differently than experienced sales professionals. However, I’m probably sure that no one likes
to attend a conference, and get hunted down in a corner, and force-fed a
business card and elevator pitch. It
boggles my brain that anyone would think this is a winning business strategy,
let alone good manners.
In the credit and collections industry,
competition is fierce, with prospective clientele being local businesses all
the way to national banks. It strikes me
that in our industry (and probably many others), everyone is still working on a
“Mad Men” mentality, using cold calling, and hardline sales approaches to carve
a niche out for their company. I think
it’s outdated, and unnecessary.
Physical Networking
Cornering people at a networking event is
not cool. Everyone deserves their
personal space, and their dignity. I can’t think in all my years of anyone
closing a deal on first meeting at a public event – so why do people try? The whole point of a business network meeting
is to network, not sell. Say
hello, ask questions, and get to know what the other person does. Honestly, if
they ask what you do, and want to know about your company, they’ll ask.
If you listen rather than talk, you’ll
find out what other people do, and you may be in a position to help them – networking
them to potential customers, offering advice or insight to them, which may not
add to your bottom line, but it does add credibility and build rapport – which is
why you are at the networking event, to begin with.
Also, business cards aren’t trading
cards. You don’t win something if you
collect them all, and if you don’t have a reason to follow up and talk with the
person afterwards, did you really network with them?
Virtual or Social Networking
Just like standing in a conference and
chatting with other professionals, you can reach out and engage people with
social media and email. I think it’s the
same thing. Why blast out 10,000 emails
to a purchased list? Wouldn’t it be more
effective to craft an individual email to a business contact, and talk about
something specific with that person? No
one likes getting spammed.
Just like collecting business cards,
collecting Linkedin connections or Twitter followers is useless without
conversation. There’s no point in
connecting with people if you can’t have a conversation with them, or a common
interest. Out of all of your Linkedin
connections, how many have you had a private conversation with?
What's Worked For Me
While I’m not the creator of a viral
youtube video, I don’t have thousands of followers on Twitter or my company
Facebook page, I can tell you that I get recognized at conferences by people I
don’t know, and clients call me inquiring about our company’s services. This didn’t happen overnight, but because I try to offer valuable content and information without assuming everyone is a "client waiting to happen", I've managed (for the most part) to gain
attention and credibility. And people don't run screaming from me when I attend a networking event.
Jesse Hirsch of CBC Radio has said the
internet is forming into a form of neo-feudalism, and the aristocracy are the
people and companies who can command attention.
Whether they are celebrities, politicians or business professionals, the
only way someone can command attention is to have something valuable, and
unique to say. We are bombarded every
day with information, and we filter out the spam, the junk, and the canned
sales pitches. That makes having a
conversation with a potential business partner challenging, but not impossible.
If you build a real network of people
you know and can talk to, the results will come – down the road, sometimes
years later, but these people will remember you helped them, you listened to
them, and you offered your expertise.
That’s how I find networking should work.
If you want to read an excellent book,
find Scott Stratten’s book “Unmarketing”.
You can also visit his website at www.unmarketing.com. Another good book is Daniel Pink’s “To Sell
Is Human” – his website is www.danpink.com.
Lastly, one of the most personable
networking professionals I’ve met is Paul Nazareth, and I follow his blog “Adventures
in Networking” at http://paulnazareth.blogspot.ca/.
As always, I am interested to hear what
success or horror stories other folks have had.
Feel free to reach out to me at my office in Cambridge at 226-946-1730.
Thanks kindly,
Blair DeMarco-Wettlaufer
Kingston Data and Credit
Cambridge, Ontario
226-946-1730
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