Are Networking Events a Good Way to Find Prospects?
Posted by: Cheryl Clausen in sales coaching, tags: networking, prospecting, sales coachingNearly every business owner, entrepreneur, and SOHO I know wants more prospects. So it’s no big surprise when I get asked about ways to find prospects. For those of you who have been a long time follower you already know my response is you don’t want to find prospects you want to become findable by the right prospects for the right reasons.
Plus most people are looking for one solution or one answer that produces big results from a one time action. I hate to break this to you BUT that’s not going to happen. Your sales success depends on the little actions you consistently take day in and day out. Colleen Francis talked about making calls, networking, emailing, reconnecting, and talking with customers as simple things you can do each day on her blog. Good advice and good actions to add to your daily action list.
However, you have to know how to make those actions work before they consistently produce results. So let’s take a look at networking because it’s an easy thing to do.
First, I want to clarify a commonly held belief.
Networking is NOT free. Even if admittance to the event is free it costs you your time, your travel expenses, and sometimes the cost of food to attend these events. My biggest concern is making sure you get the greatest return from your time investment.
Until you get your marketing message together and become proficient at the skill of networking choose low value events. Use these events as a testing ground to determine what you need to say to attract the interest and attention of the other attendees. I don’t mean showing up and throwing up where you greet each attendee and puke out an elevator pitch.
No, I mean learning how to engage the other person and communicate what you do as a natural conversation that goes deeper depending on the interest you are able to rile up.
Once you can attend general networking events and have conversations with people that get them to ask you to tell them more… you are ready to get serious about networking.
At that point you have 3 key concerns:
- Focus on attending only the events your ideal prospects are most likely to attend
- Develop a natural conversation that helps your best prospects understand what you can help them get or what you can do for them
- Offer something to the prospects you meet that they actually value then give them a way to get that without calling you up or meeting with you for an appointment
Never forget networking is NOT about selling. Networking is about opening connections with people so you have the opportunity to develop a relationship with them that transforms into a sale when you help them buy what they are already looking to buy.
Coach Cheryl
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October 9th, 2009 at 7:52 am
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