| People are talking about me behind my back |
| |
|
| | Continued from page 6
Putting it in black
and white makes it
sounds more manipulative
than it is. I actually
enjoy doing it – so it
doesn’t feel too much
like work – except when
I have to write the
emails the following
day. I have found this
is the most effective
way to build the
essential foundation for
networking: to be known,
to be liked, and to be
trusted.
This is what the
pushy and pitchy people
don’t understand. The
pitch is important, but
it has to be delivered
in a context where the
other person is
listening to what is
being said, and not in a
context where the MP3 in
their head is playing
‘Can I really trust
you?’
So, finally, let’s
talk about the pitch, or
rather how you let
people know what you do.
But before we get to the
content, we need to
think about the reason.
Many people approach | |
|
| | networking as if they
are selling to the
person they are speaking
with. While it is true
that in the average
sized networking event,
the chances are that you
share the same birthday
with someone else in the
room, the odds that you
will find yourself
speaking with a
potential client always
seem somewhat longer.
You have to think: how
can I tell this person
what I do in a way that
is interesting enough
for them to want to tell
someone else?
Many people come to
networking events
expecting to connect
with people who are
looking for their
services right there and
then. But this is short
sighted. The best
referrals often come
from people referring
you to others in their
network. Even when you
have directly connected
with someone, the third
party endorsement will
count for more.
You have to find a
way to tell your story
in a way that resonates | |
|
| | and feels relevant, and
is interesting and
memorable, so that it
can be repeated. A
typical structure would
be: This is what people
are trying to do and why
(other person nods).
This is what they
usually do to achieve it
(other person nods).
This is why it doesn’t
work (other person nods
– and smiles with
recognition). This is
how we resolve the issue
(if the other person
wants to know how, you
know you are getting
somewhere).
At the end of
conversations like this,
there needs to be a
‘call to action’. In my
case it is usually a
one-to-one meeting to
explore the issue, or
the other person offers
to introduce me to
someone who might be
interested in talking to
me. But the important
thing to remember is
that it is not the pitch
alone that does the job.
It’s the foundation of
credibility and trust
that allowed it to be
heard with an open mind. | |
| |
| |
|
Previous Page 
