Business Networking Tool: How to have the best 30 second self introduction ever heard!
How is there a referral in every elevator speech?
Self introductions will get you referrals at every business networking event you attend, after you read this article. EVERY SINGLE TIME! Really? You bet. Now let’s see how.
There are three things you’ll need to make this work:
1. A pad of paper
2. A willingness to help others
3. A database for follow-up
What you need to do is: Listen with the intention to help each person who introduces them self with a referral.
A quick distinction about referrals. Not every referral has to be a direct customer. Referrals can also include:
- Other networking groups
- Business Resources
- Books you’ve read that may solve their problem or help them
- Partners that are in complementary businesses that will refer them
- Clients
- Your expertise and advice
- Be creative and let you imagination run wild
You see, 95% of the people attending a business networking event are thinking about what to say in their 30 second self introduction. In fact, most people are so deathly afraid of public speaking that they’re having minor anxiety attacks waiting for their turn. You’ll get a sense of what they do and what their business is and how to help them grow their business, no matter how ‘good or bad’ their elevator speech.
Take a note for everyone that attends the event. When you write down their name also write down any thoughts you have to help them grow their business. After the meeting, mixer or business networking event contact the person and share the referral. Don’t forget to connect and get to know the person. When and if appropiate, add them to your data base and newsletter list.
Using this method, you’ll find that every business networking event gives you one to three direct referrals for every 20 people you contact. Usually in 45 to 60 days, you’ll receive these leads. You may want to try it just to see what happens. You’ll feel energized by helping others.
Business Networking and Business Events Only. Why is that?
NetworkingEventFinders only publishes business and business networking events
Here’s Why:
- Business and Networking is our passion
- Our talents are Business and Networking
- We’re tired of searching through festivals, concerts and single’s events to find business networking events
- We’re ‘mature’ and only party on the weekends
- We got tired of attending MLM recruiting events, Business Seminars and Opportunity Meetings promoted as “business networking” events
- While searching for business networking events we found way too many really cool website that sucked up all our time
- We don’t want to register and give up our email address to get business networking event information
- We got tired of “self interest” sites where publishers mainly promoted their own events, programs and seminars
A global business networking websites, where it’s FREE to find and to promote local networking events, is what Mindy Selinger and Terry Hall set out to build 18 months ago. The beta site of Networking Event Finders launched in October of 2008 with the full site launch in March of 2009.
Like any business, we’ve learned a heck of a lot about what works and doesn’t work for an on-line business. We’ve learned in this economic climate that NetworkingEventFinders is needed, now more than ever. We’re filling the need for an independent business and business networking events publisher. We have proof of concept. We’ve proven that we can design, maintain and promote a network of 60+ business networking calendars. We have over 800 people a day looking for what we publish. Not too bad in just over a year. If 2010 is anything like 2009, our popularity is positioned to explode! We could use your help.
The best part is that we’re offering a Win/Win opportunity. These are the three ways you can help:
1. Let your networks know that we’re here and invite them to add their networking events to our calendars.
2. Consider being a Local Editor for your networking guide.
3. Help us find advertisers.
By helping us we’ll be able to improve our publication by offering more events and a wider variety of business networking events. When we have all of these we’ll see an enhanced exposure with more opportunities to increase and develop our businesses.
Business Networking in Maryland: Moms, Inc
Talk about necessity being the ‘mother’ of invention… Moms Inc.org was started three years ago by Nancy Daniel for moms who have a home-based business or want to start one.
Last summer, after I received a couple of inquiries here at NEF from work-at-home moms looking for business networking groups that were kid-friendly (Denver area!), I put out a national query to see if I could find any. I didn’t get very many responses. I’m so happy to hear about this one. Usually I would not put a local group on the national newsletter but I am hoping the publicity will shed light on more small groups like this. We want people to learn about what’s available in a networking group and of course list their events on the calendar.
Stay at home moms with businesses face a unique set of obstacles. They’re working in two unrelated and frequently conflicting endeavors, they need a place where they can go and receive guidance and support. Answering a need that more and more women are experiencing, are groups like Moms Inc. Moms, Inc. is connecting moms with home based businesses with the resources and knowledge of women who are making similar lifestyle choices. Moms, Inc. chapters meet once a month for very informal gatherings. Meetings are free and annual dues a kept at a minimum. The group is mostly mothers of young children, so kids are always welcome. From a mere handful of members to three chapters in Maryland in three short years, with additional chapters being planned in other states, Moms, Inc. has blossomed. For business networking, support and friendship, Moms, Inc. is the place for moms with home based businesses. Family are Moms, Inc. members first priority, but they also take their businesses seriously. If you know of any other such small, grass-roots group please leave a comment and tell us about them!