Networking with a Purpose

That evening when the stockbroker is at a networking event, 3 people ask him for stock tips.  The next morning at his office he creates a bill for each one. He goes to drop them in the mailbox and what’s there of course?  A bill from the lawyer.

It’s up to each of you to determine how much free advice to offer.  Generally if someone wants enough advice, he or she may be worthy of becoming a client.  We recently spent time with a sales leader from Sony who introduced us to the term SWAG—Socialize With A Goal.  She teaches her team to always be ready, because you never know who you may meet. She’s ready to SWAG if she’s at an actual networking event, or if she’s at a baseball game or on an airplane.  

So what are the keys to being a great SWAGer?

• Prepare.  Most people go to networking events because the event sounds cool or interesting.  That’s fine, but productive networking doesn’t just happen. You need to be ready. Who’s going to be there?  Who do you want to meet? How might you be able to help them?  How might they be able to help you? Thinking through the answers to these basic questions in advance enables you to plan a basic strategy.  
• Have relevant answers to the questions you know you’re going to get:
  • How have you been?  “Busy.  Swamped”  Really? Everyone in the professional world is trained to say they’re busy; otherwise they’re not that important.  Busy is the lazy answer. Tell people what you’ve been busy working on—and focus on something that may relate to them.  “I’ve been busy--working on a new plan that makes it easier for local business owners to grow their businesses using social networking.  What about you?”

• • What do you do?  “My firm does sales training and coaching” is an OK answer.  The answer is better if it’s benefit-oriented and relevant to the audience:  “My firm does sales training and coaching.  We spend a lot of time with sales leaders in coaching programs so that their salespeople actually change their behavior, implement the training and produce better results.  What are some of the things you’re working on lately?”

• Other best practices from top performing SWAGers
  • When you receive advice or a referral, follow up and keep the referral source in the loop.
  • Make notes on the backs of business cards to remember interesting things about people.
  • Eat before the event, so your focus is not on eating, but on networking.
  • If you go with a friend/colleague, don’t hang out with him/her the entire time.

Follow these tips and you will be a more productive SWAGer whenever you are somewhere with people you don’t know or people you don’t see regularly.  All these opportunities count. You never know where you’re going to find your next big deal. You may find it SWAGing…