Jan 31, 2022
HOW TO
PREP FOR YOUR FIRST NETWORKING EVENT
EP 61 - IF YOU ARE NEW TO
NETWORKING, THIS EPISODE IS FOR YOU.
My name is Debbie DeChambeau,
I’m your host, I’m an entrepreneur, business advisor, insurance
professional and content creator. I want to inspire you to
think differently and explore ideas that disrupt the status
quo.
When I’m not helping individuals
with insurance, I facilitate business development groups. Before
COVID, they were all in person. Today, they are all virtual. I
facilitate 5 a week and have been doing this straight through
COVID!
For years I’ve been told I’m a
great facilitator, but transitioning the skills to virtual has
taken some time. I think I’ve mastered it, but I’m always observing
others and tweaking my skills. I create the agenda’s and because
I’ve been doing this for so long and I’m a lifelong learner, I
usually add some golden nuggets to help with the topic of
discussion.
Recently we had a discussion
about networking and members were asked to share their best
networking tip for someone new to networking. I’ve compiled them
and added some commentary, hoping these ideas will help you become
a better networker. If you’ve been locked down in COVID, if you are
new to networking or if you want to be a better networker, I think
you’ll appreciate some of these ideas. I’m going to share the tip
that was provided and then add some commentary to help you
understand the context and how you might incorporate the idea into
your own style.
For this conversation, let’s
assume that you are going to an event that is specific for
networking. It could be an event that has 10 people or 100, the
number there really doesn’t matter. In my opinion, the number of
attendees really doesn’t matter. If you are at the right event with
the right people, you’ll get value.
In preparation for this event,
here’s a few tips that were provided:
- Networking is a long game and doesn’t happen
overnight.
- Plan ahead what you want to get out of the
meeting/ goals/ who are you looking to meet/ engage the other
person and get to know them vs. them really getting to know
you.
- If you know who is going to be at the event,
research 2-3 people that you really want to meet
- Set a goal, maybe to meet 5 new people, force
yourself out of your comfort zone
- Try to diversify your network - don’t be afraid
to network outside of your sphere Good reason to follow up with
everyone!
- Plan time for follow up - need a plan for
this
- Block time on your calendar
- Connect on LinkedIn / Social
- Send an email
- Send a handwritten note
- Follow up with everyone
- Go to the event alone - encourages you to step
out of your comfort zone and to talk to people you don’t
know.
- Key to networking is to network, don't stand in
a corner alone
- Get there early, be one of the first ones to
pick up the name / tag, there's a few people you know, just in
case
- Force yourself to just show
up
- Save alcohol and food for later
Try different type of events at
first to see what works best for you and what feels most
comfortable - i.e. big events vs. small; lunches or happy
hours
- Initially, you might go to every event,
but afterwhile, you’ll need and want to be more selective about the
events that you attend.
- Understand who you are targeting and attend
events that are focused on your target market
Have your intro prepared so that
it sounds polished but not salsey. Have a simple 5-10 seconds/ 30
seconds and a 60 second intro prepared because you never know what
amount of time you’ll be allotted.
- 15 second: My name is Debbie DeChambeau, I’m a
medicare broker and I help people navigate the Medicare
Maze
- 30 second: My name is Debbie DeChambeau, I help
people navigate the Medicare maze by educating them on their
options, answering questions and researching the best plans based
on their lifestyle
- 60 second: My name is Debbie Dechambeau, I am a
Medicare broker, working with people that are turning 65, retiring
or on disability and in need of Medicare Insurance. I help people
understand all of the rules around Medicare and also educate them
on their options from original medicare to medicare advantage (you
know, those Joe Namath commercials) and everything in between. This
includes dental, vision, hearing and cancer. We talk about some of
the things they can expect from Medicare and how to plan
accordingly.
- Practicing your introduction
NOT SURE WHAT TO TALK
ABOUT?
Think about the
following:
- FORD - FAMILY, OCCUPATION, RECREATION,
DREAMS
- Try to connect with people on a personal level.
If you don't feel a vibe, you probably won't connect
professionally
- Relax and let yourself off the hook. It’s about
having a conversation that is hopefully memorable. Your
conversations don’t have to be work related. Remember, the first
meeting is a starting point.
When you meet with someone that
you already know,
- ask them how you can help
them
- ask them to tell you something about what they
do that you don’t already know.
Be patient, know that it's not
going to happen overnight, need to build the relationship; Before
you get referrals, people need to know, like and trust you. One way
to start that is to see what you can do to help someone else. Try
to give more than you receive
VIRTUAL EVENTS
- Virtually, put your contact information in the
chat.
- Save the chat, be sure to follow up