Removing The Fear And Energizing Your Networking
By Dan Hanneman
Are you anxious or nervous when approaching others about what you do? Do you worry about how others are perceiving you and your business? I am fairly sure that most business owners are at least a little nervous about presenting themselves to others at networking meetings and other events. We tend to get hung up on worrying if what we offer as a business will interest them or if they will accept us. Even the most confident and seasoned networker will find that they get on edge occasionally when meeting certain other professionals about what they do. Do you find yourself avoiding networking events because of it or shrinking away from greeting others at such events? If so, you are severely limiting your connections with others and will find that your overall energy drops because of it (not good for attracting new clients). You can begin to transform this once problematic area into something that you actually enjoy by following these three simple steps.
Step One: You want to have a 30 second commercial prepared to use when introducing what you do. You don’t want to sound like you are reading a script when speaking but allow it to flow out naturally (forget about doing it exactly right – no such thing!). If nothing else, your thoughts will be well organized and it will be much easier to talk about yourself when the time is right to speak about yourself. You want to let others know what you’re on a mission to do. It should let them know who your ideal client is and give them at least one or two key benefits of them working with you. It is best to close by asking if they know anyone like your ideal client or if they know others that connect with your ideal client.
Step Two: You want to talk yourself up before going to the event. Yes – it is time for you to pump yourself up a little bit by getting enthusiastic about what you do. Take time to write out for a minute or two all the most key benefits that you offer others and recent successes that you have had with your customers. If you really want to bring your confidence and energy up, you can speak these benefits and successes out loud while declaring yourself to be a godsend to your customers (which you are!). This helps you to feel absolutely great and can super boost your confidence. It also prepares you well for being at a higher vibration energetically with others and your enthusiasm will be contagious. Additionally, you automatically will speak about these things when you are in front of your networking contacts. I promise you that this will help you make new connections with others like never before!
Step Three: When you actually go to the event it is time to forget about yourself for a while (sounds contrary to what you might think – right?). Great networking is all about connecting with the person in front of you first and seeing how you might be able to help them. When you are genuinely loving, supportive, and interested in your networking contact, you tend to relax (because your not as concerned about what they think about you) and you put the other person at ease as well (they think “Boy, they sure seem to be interested in me, my business, and want to help me! I wonder what they do…”). After you have established great rapport with them, it is easy to interest them in what you do because you took the time to get to know them first and they naturally will tend to care about what you have to say much more now. You get back from them what you have given.
By following the three simple steps, you will now be much more in the flow energetically when going to networking events that you used to dread. You actually will find that you are looking forward to your next networking meeting rather than thinking “Gee – maybe there is something else that I can do”. You will also see your results from networking begin to improve when coupled with a consistent follow up system.
Assignment For The Month:
1. Always follow all of these three steps for the next 30 days. If you do it consistently, it will develop a new habit that will actually stick.
2. Make sure that you have several networking events to attend over the next 30 days. You need to be practicing this new technique and consistent marketing is the only way to keep your practice thriving.
3. Be sure to follow up with all networking contacts if there seemed to be any connection at all. Be sure to e-mail or call all networking contacts to let them know that you enjoyed meeting them and tell them one key thing you enjoyed about them. You can then stay in touch by on at least a quarterly basis if you feel it was a good connection.
4. For those contacts that are regularly in contact with your ideal client or have key contacts, you can call them to meet for coffee/lunch/by phone to cultivate a good mutually beneficial relationship. Be sure that you are selective though as your time is very valuable.
