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Before you go networking for the first time

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19th Jul 2012
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This article outlines what you can do before you go to a networking event so as to make it more enjoyable and more worthwhile.

In part one I shared some ideas as to what face-to-face networking is really about.

In the next part of this series I’ll focus on what you can do during a networking event to build on your preparatory work and to make it easier to relax and talk to people.

And in the final part I will address the all-important and often overlooked aspect of how to follow up after you attend a networking event. If you ignore this you may well be wasting your time with face-to-face networking in the first place.

The ‘3 Ps’ involve: Preparation, planning and practice. We’ll start with preparation.

Why are you networking?

As we established last time, networking is all about relationship building. It’s not about selling or direct lead generation. Thus it makes sense to determine a number of things before you start attending networking events in your own right:

  • What sort of people would it be useful to meet?
  • Where are they likely to be found?
  • What do I want to find out about them?
  • What do I want them to remember about me and what I do?

Let’s address each of these in turn.

Who do you want to meet?

Ok, yes, in an ideal world you would like to meet prospective clients who are looking for a new accountant just like you. Fine. Now be realistic. Unless you are extraordinarily lucky you are unlikely to find such people at the networking events you attend. So, who else do you want to meet? Your list might include:

  • Solicitors, bankers, financial advisers, business consultants
  • Trusted business people
  • Indeed anyone who could, if they get to like and trust you, refer their friends, associates and family to you

Where are these potential advocates likely to be found?

This is a tough one and it reveals one of the differences between networking theory and networking in practice.

Until you attend a networking event you may be unable to discover what sort of people are likely to be there. And yet you want to plan your networking activity so as to get maximum benefit from the time you will be devoting to it.

In my experience the attendees at most generic networking events typically comprise a mix of:

  • Small business owners looking for sales and leads (poor fools)
  • Professional advisers (such a lawyers, financial advisers, bankers) – some will be looking for new clients. Others will be more experienced networkers with realistic expectations. And some will not really know what they are doing there!
  • Business owners, investors, mentors, advisers, accountants and other people who just happen to be there to see what goes on, to listen to the speaker or who are simply curious

Your initial foray into networking will be more successful if you recognise that your ideal clients won’t be there. But someone there is bound to know your ideal clients and connections.

What do I want to find out about them?

If you plan to attend networking events with the expectation of being able to help the other attendees you will stand out – in a very positive way. And you will find that, as long as you are genuine, you will find your help gets reciprocated – often when you least expect it.

So part of your preparation is to think about who you know who provides services to the sort of people likely to be at the event. You can do this by simply checking through your address book. This will help ensure that the names and roles of people you know are front of mind.

After a while you may not need to do this anymore. It may become automatic – I know it is for me.

What’s your story?

“Hello. My name is Mark and I’m an accountant” – No wonder so many people think we’re boring.

What do you want them to remember about you and what you do?

Who are your ideal clients? The more specific you can be here the better. This point has been addressed in previous articles: Are you a bog-standard accountant? and How to get your first clients.

Your business cards

Think about where you will keep these so that you can withdraw them simply and easily when you are asked for your card. At some, although not all, formal networking events everyone is encouraged to pass their cards around the table so make sure you have more than a few with you.

What’s your promise?

Imagine you are in conversation with a new acquaintance. They seem interesting and interested in what you do. You want them to remember you and to think positively about you. You want to move them up the scale of meet, know, like, trust. How can you get past ‘like’? How does anyone decide who to trust? One small step you can take is to make a promise and then to keep that promise.

So, part of your preparation should involve thinking about what you could promise to do or to send on afterwards. I’ll address this further in the final part of this series.

Planning

I’m referring here largely to the logistical issues. Where do you have to go? How will you get there and how much time do you need to allow to get there in good time? Just one caveat here: If you arrive too early the organisers may not be there. So do check when you book especially if the advertised ‘start’ time doesn’t make clear the difference between registrations and the commencement of any formal proceedings.

Do also think about how you will get home or to the office afterwards.

Practice

The most common question you will be asked is a variation on the old standard: “And what do you do?” What you say in response will have a big impact on the rest of the conversation.

You will come across far better if you have practiced your response and if you have something memorable and interesting to say. And, please do not start worrying about crafting a definitive ‘elevator pitch’. Instead make sure your response is natural and leads people to ask for more information, clarification or explanation. They will only do this if you seem interesting to talk to. So ensure you have a relevant story that you can use as a follow-up. Maybe you will talk about how much your input has helped your first new client since starting up your own practice.

It is also worth ensuring that you can clearly explain what sort of people you are looking to meet and to help. Again, practice your replies with a friend so that you are clear and consistent.

As indicated above there are two further parts to this series on networking for the start-up practice. In the meantime do please share your experiences and views for other readers.

See also:

Mark Lee is consultant practice editor of AccountingWEB.co.uk and writes the BookMarkLee blog to help accountants build more successful practices more enjoyably. He is also chairman of the Tax Advice Network of independent tax consultants.

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