Tour 39 The Valley
"Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil." Psalm 23:4a
Often for the introverted networker, a crowded room is a valley, and the people, mere shadows of darkness that are best avoided.
For those who do not enjoy networking, but know it's necessary, here are four tips to cast sunlight into the shadows.
Be a Tourist
The very first article of this blog tells scared networkers to put themselves into the role of a tourist, not a performer.
A tourist doesn’t know what to expect. She keeps his mind open to what she will discover. Be an explorer, and don’t give yourself a grade when you leave the building. Unlike a tourist, you aren’t on a time schedule. Understand you have time to explore. You may visit 5 or 6 meetings in “explore” mode before you move to the next step. It’s ok! If you don’t ever get comfortable, truly comfortable with networking, you’ll never see the results you are hoping for.
The number one tip I would give the introverted networker is to bring a tourist mind set to the gatherings. Take the pressure off of yourself and see what's waiting for you.
Bring a Buddy
I don't care if it's your mother, bring someone with you. In the beginning, a friendly face by your side can make a world of difference in your whole outlook on networking. Follow these tips when inviting someone to go with you to a networking event:
Invite at least 3 weeks before the event. You may have to ask a few people before you get a yes.
Let the people you are asking know what their friendly face beside you will mean for you.
Recall one or two funny, interesting, or impactful stories about the person who has agreed to attend the networking event with you, and have those stories on hand to tell others. Stories that present your buddy in a good light or highlight his character are best.
Shrink the Room
Visually focus on a small section of the room and tell yourself you are only going to interact with those people in that section. If you end up branching out, that's ok too. This means there are only 3 or 4 people there with you. Make this a reality in your mind.
If there are only 3 or 4 people in the room with you, after you talk to 2 of them, you've talked to half of the room so to speak, and you can leave if you want to.
Embrace this technique as long as you need to and for as many meetings you need to, and don't spend one second feeling bad for using it.
Prepare Two Questions
Prepare a couple of questions ahead of the event that you would like people to ask you and think about what your own answers to those questions would be. At the event, ask people the questions. If you need ideas for questions to ask, read this article.
Most people, when asked a good question, will volley some version of the question back to you. And now you can answer confidently, because you've given the answer some thought beforehand.
For even more tips for the introvert, read this.
Go network my friend, and remember:
No need to "fear evil" when it comes to networking. Embrace adventure and follow the advice in this article. You'll be ok!
The Networker's Tour Guide, Faithann Basore, and her husband Dave have owned Window Cleaning Plus (WCP) for 10 years. Growing WCP through networking has given Faithann the desire to guide other small business owners through the networking terrain so they can feel comfortable and build long lasting relationships in their business.
Got networking questions? Email me at [email protected].
