Last night I went to a dinner honoring my client. It was a “40 under 40″ award given by the city’s business journal. I had 2 tickets and my husband was going to join me, but he got stuck in a “can’t miss” meeting that was 2 hours away from the dinner event. GAWK! I was on my own. Rarely do I end up in a solo situation; network with a buddy is a golden rule of mine. I felt awkward.
What did I do? Well, first, I got a glass of wine, which got me into the room and gave me something to hold. Then I surveyed the room and found someone who looked as awkward as I felt. I walked up to her, asked if she was waiting for someone, and suggested we talk in the meantime. I was honest about feeling like a fish out of water and we laughed. She was in the same boat. It turned out to be a great conversation. She happened to be a lawyer and was curious about business coaching. She offered me her card and today I’ll send her a copy of my book, Market You Must, with a postit on the page about bringing a colleague to a networking event!
I always recommend you have an intention for every networking event and the one that I like best is to simply meet one person that you’d enjoy following up with afterward. Marketing is all about relationship building- meeting, deciding if there’s enough in common to stay in touch, and moving forward. I don’t know if my new friend will ever become a client or refer one. I don’t know if she’ll connect me to a speaking gig or maybe send me a resource I’ve never seen before. Maybe she’ll just be a familiar face at another event. I know I’ll send her information periodically, if there’s something relevant to the topics we discussed.
After my client arrived, I had a lovely time celebrating her award. I met people that I’ll be in touch with and it was very easy. However, that first connection might have been the most valuable one of the evening. Painful though it felt in the first moment!
If you’re doing your marketing job, you’ll no doubt be in the very same situation at one time or another. When it happens, take a deep breath and step out of your comfort zone and into a conversation. Even if you don’t meet someone you’d like to see again, you’ll gain a little more experience for the next time. Experience leads to confidence. Add a little persistence and you’ll build your business!
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