Getting the most from Networking Events

Attending networking events is probably the best way to build your business and professional network. The problem is, most people are really ineffective at this form of networking.

It’s not something that came naturally to me. I had to learn how to get the most out of these events. I’d like to share what I have learnt over the years:

1. Go intending to build new relationships

Yes, that’s right – relationships, not just business connections. Making it personal will help you be memorable.

2. Focus on giving

Look for how you can help. Maybe you can make an introduction, or recommend a product or service (other than yours) that will help the person in front of you.

3. Be present in the moment

Being fully present with someone is vanishingly rare – it guarantees you will be remembered, because it shows that you actually care about what they are saying.

4. Listen

Listen to learn more about that person, don’t just wait for your turn to talk, and when you do speak, continue their topic.

5. Ask open questions

Don’t just ask the usual banal conversation-starters: be topical and personal. The conversation will flow better and be more enjoyable.

7. Don’t just say ‘Yes”

You do not have to accept all invitations. Don’t agree to do something out of courtesy. Remember this is business networking.

8. Quality vs. Quantity

This is a difficult one. If you have an effective follow up system, then it makes sense to meet as many people as possible, but if you do not, you will need to choose who you spend your time with carefully.

9. FOLLOW UP

It is great to send an email or personal note to everyone you met…but calling is even better.

I will expand on these points in future posts, so watch this space…

I'd like to meet you...

If you do not have a PA - employed or contracted - you probably spend quite a lot of your time scheduling and rescheduling appointments.

Well, part of my business is the scheduling of appointments for our clients.

A friend's facebook post on the subject inspired me to compile our list of odd behaviour by our clients' contacts, so here, in no particular order, is our top (bottom?) five:

1) making an appointment, not showing up and not answering the phone when we call to find out why
2) making an appointment, then assuming it is cancelled because it was not confirmed by a call on the actual day
3) turning up for an appointment and being surprised at who they are meeting
4) turning up for an appointment half an hour late, without forewarning or apology
5) rescheduling the meeting, then rescheduling the meeting, then rescheduling....and so on

If you have the task of scheduling meetings, I'm sure you have a few entertaining stories.

We'd love you to share them!  

What is Sales Support?

I have come to realise that there are about as many definitions of sales support as there are people interested in it. You can probably come up with a few yourself...

Anyway, I thought it's about time I defined it for myself (at least for the purposes of this blog!).

So, here goes:

Sales Support is any activity that is specifically intended to directly aid a seller to make a sale.

So, that rules out advertising and PR, which is intended to create a general receptiveness to / demand for the product or service.

Likewise any public offer (e.g.: 30% off this month, buy 3 get 1 free...) falls outside this definition.

It can get a bit ambiguous, in that many activities are not specific to a salesperson, but are used in a personal capacity by the salesperson. For example, presentation decks, sales aids and brochures are generic, but may be customised or used in a personal and specific way by different salespeople, and I will explore them in this blog.

On firmer ground, the activities of the army of sales engineers, pre-sales consultants, cold-callers, appointment bookers, sales literature creators and admin support people are clearly well within this definition.

Direct mail (digital or otherwise), can, depending how it is structured and used, be either sales support or general advertising. Again, it is an area I intend to cover.

I know I have missed out many specific examples, and some will disagree with this definition.

Do you have a view on this? A favourite definition?

Share your thoughts...  

So now what do I do?

A question that a lot of people have been asking me over the last few days is "now what do I do?".

Specifically, it relates to the pile of cards that they have collected (and is now gathering dust) from a networking event, a trade show or similar occasion.

We are all busy, and an event where you collect a significant number of cards (I'll share my thoughts about working an event another time) seems a no-brainer in terms of productivity, but...

Then what do you do? Well, the conventional wisdom on best practice is that you should re-contact everyone (OK, everyone you actually want to follow up with!) within 48 hours.

So, phone or email? If it's a dozen cards, picking up the phone may not be too onerous, but if it's twice that? Ten times? Then what? Most people will spend an hour or two sending out (slightly) customised emails...you know you have done it: "It was great to meet you...this is what I do...stay in touch..."

And then the replies come back, and you have to respond...and reply to their responses...and so on. Life can quickly become a futile battle to clear incoming (and, in general banal and unproductive) emails.

So, it's better to have a plan before you even go to the event.

Here's my typical plan:

1) I work the room politely, swiftly and efficiently.
2) I sort the cards into:
    a) Hot Prospects
    b) Possibles
    c) Avoid
3) Call as soon as possible after the event to set up meetings with the Hot Prospects, THEN the Posssibles
4) Send a confirmation of the meeting

I'm sure we all have variations on this plan, but the point is, it's just a plan, and does not always get executed in a disciplined manner. And that's where I have learned a valuable truth:

The plan works a lot better if someone else does the calling and appointment setting.

This is initially counter-intuitive. After all, you should follow up PERSONALLY, right?

Well, actually yes and no.

You should certainly make it personal, but it does not have to be you on the phone.

Having your assistant (actually, anyone can do this for you, with training and a good script) make the calls says the following: 

1) You are successful enough to have an assistant
2) Because someone has to manage your schedule for you, you are busy (i.e.: in demand)
3) You have a plan AND execute it effectively

All these are good things...and there is the added bonus that a third party calling on your behalf is taken (subconsciously) as an endorsement by that person.

I have even found this approach successful in setting up productive meetings for a colleague. After all, just because you met the person at an event, it does not necessarily follow that you are the best person to do the follow-up.

So, think about your plan for the next event. All the best...and share how you get on.

Cold calling dead?

For various reasons, this is a topic that has occupied my thoughts recently.

Then, on Friday, I read an article on this subject in the morning and had a discussion on the topic in the afternoon. The article was by a widely respected writer from the USA, and the conversation was with one of Singapore's top sales trainers.

Both had the same message: cold calling used to work, but now it simply does not...and yet call centers around the world continue to make a good living from cold calling.

It got me thinking about the nature of cold calling and why it persists when so many respected experts say it should not.

I don't suppose there is any one reason for this but the consensus seems to be that we are all so much busier, that we just don't have the time (or patience) to listen to some we have no relationship with.

I think there is a good deal of truth in this, but that it is not the whole story. What other factors would you add?

I'm setting up this blog to share my experiences and thoughts about sales support.

A lot has been (and will continue to be) written about salespeople, sales training, how to prospect and how to close. I will touch on these and other topics, but will mostly focus on the subject of sales support, since it does not seem to be as well covered, but is important in its own right.

What do I mean by sales support?

Well, I primarily mean the administrative and technological support that can make the difference between a salesperson running around like a headless chicken, vanishing under a pile of paperwork, or spending time actually selling.

This blog will be a focus of information and discussion on this topic.

If you sell, manage or support salespeople, there will be something here for you.

I look forward to your comments and contributions.