Today, let’s talk about business networking and why it’s so important to stand out.
Last week, I was chatting with the head of business development of a decent sized law firm here in London. We were talking about some potential training opportunities for their staff. He mentioned that some of their staff don’t enjoy business networking even though it’s their task to grow a particular area of the law firm by going out there, being the face of the firm and bringing the business in.
Business Networking is about achieving visibility, being seen, being remembered, and ultimately being hired. You want people be curious about you – enough for them to request a one to one chat or to think of you when someone they know requires the kind of service you offer.
Most towns and cities will have a variety of different networking organisations. In many meetings, there’s a part where each attendee gets to speak for 60 seconds to share who they are, what they do and what sorts of contacts they are looking for.
Here are some reasons why it’s so important to spend a bit of time crafting your 60 second pitch. It goes by in a flash but you might have had to take a half day off work to attend. Make sure you maximise your opportunity by keeping the following points in mind:
1 – People buy people.
Let people be attracted to who you really are. Be appealing. Be human. Let your personality shine through so others want to speak to you further. If someone needs to use you or your company’s service, they could easily Google a similar company or pick up the phone book (I think phone books aka directories like The Yellow Pages etc still exist!). But if they like YOU and are excited about working with YOU, whether because of your sense of humour, your excellent communication skills or your calm manner, then you’ll be the person they think of whenever they, or an acquaintance, have a need for what you offer.
2 – A good pitch should intrigue people or arouse curiosity.
With just 60 seconds of ‘stage time’, it’s incredibly difficult to cram a lot of information in. Instead of trying to speak as fast as you can and pack in tons of detail, choose to share something that piques interest and has people searching for you after the meeting to find out more.
3 – You want to differentiate yourself and your company.
There are many others who do a similar job to yours. What makes you or your company different? How are you special? Is it in customer service? Do you have an international network? Did your company win an award? Do you have a ground breaking product? Try to get this across, rather than listing the same old services that every financial advisor, plumber or accountant can be counted on to offer.
Business networking can be a great way to get yourself known and eventually find clients or customers for a product or service that you’re offering. So don’t waste your opportunity! Don’t be a shrinking violet with a dull or same-same pitch. Make sure you stand out at your next business networking event.
***
If you’re interested in working on your 60 second pitches, why not book a half-day VIP coaching session with me? I’ll spend time getting to know what you do and we can create a variety of memorable pitches to help you and your business STAND OUT.
P.S. Whenever you’re ready… here are 4 ways I can help you grow your business:
- Book a 15 min Speak with Confidence Call to see if a VIP day is right for you
- Get the freebie – 27 places to find speaking opportunities.
- Join the Facebook Group – Public Speaking for Female Coaches and Entrepreneurs.
- Join the group online coaching program – Get Clients with Speaking in 60 Days.