Wearing a hat is a great way to stand out at a networking event. A hat makes a great signature piece, that when worn consistently, becomes somewhat of your own personal brand. I, personally, wear my cowboy hat with a large turkey feather. It’s incredible how many people approach me just because of my hat. It also makes a great ice-breaker… “guess the feather!” I have some friends that elect to wear a baseball cap with their companies logo on it. This seems to be less effective, as your logo has very little emotional appeal to anyone else. Ladies can color match their hats as well, adding a flare of color never hurts. In a room full of professionals, it pays to be the unique one that stands out.
We ALL love to talk about ourselves. It’s a world-wide truth that we are our own favorite subject material. A great way to build inroads with people is to engage with them on a more personal level. Most people in that room will have the same conversation over-and-over again. “What do you do for work?”, “Are you busy this time of year?”, or “How long have you been in the industry?”. Though well intentioned, these are dead-end conversations that don’t reveal much about the person and what they value. Instead try another approach.. Ask more questions about them. “What’s the biggest challenge you are facing right now professionally?” or “What are some interesting things happening behind the scenes in your industry that the lay person doesn’t know about?” Positioning yourself as someone who is very engaged in the conversation, more concerned with what they have going on, and asking provocative questions is a great way to be remembered. It’s incredible, the people who remember me most, are the one’s I’ve said the least to. We love talking about ourselves.
Best to come in 15-30 minutes into the event. People are often loosened up at this point. Their social jitters have probably calmed (and they’ve probably had a bit to drink at this point too). Around this time frame their original conversations will begin to break down and they’ll be looking for an excuse to jump ship to another conversation. It’s best to come in right around this time. Dressed well, with a big smile, and a beaming hat–you’ll be center stage. People are often planning an exit around the 45 minute to 1 hour mark. It’s a great time to have some meaningful, last conversations with people around this time. I’m a big believer in leaving while the party is still going on, however, with networking events; I often am one of the last to leave.
Alcohol is a wonderful social lubricant. It also enables you to make a bunch of friends. Nothing greases the wheels of business like a drink or two. I often buy drinks for friends and acquaintances at networking events. Yeah it costs me a little bit of money the first time, but it’s an investment that continues paying dividends. If there is a drink cover charge for the event as well, it’s a great way to make inroads with the event host. “Hey Jim, I did my best to help us hit our minimum cover charge of $3,500”. They will appreciate you for it–and remember you.
“That is so cool!!” is most often the response I get whenever I give someone a BizGift™ card. It’s amazing what a $5 gift does to people. It’s also a great way to trigger the law of reciprocity in which I wrote more about here. BizGift™ cards are a wonderful networking secret sauce. I always keep a few $10-$20 cards in my back pocket for the people I really want to connect with. Time and time again, whenever I come across people I’ve already met (and given a BizGift™ card to) they remember me and pull out my BizGift™ card (that they’ve been carrying in their wallet/purse). It really is magic.
Being a good networker is worth the time investment. Business’ are nothing but a collection of people working towards a common goal. We so often forget that on the otherside of every transaction is another human being. I hope by implementing these 5 steps you too will see a wonderful return on the investment of your time. We all go to networking events, might as well become a rockstar networker.
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