Aro PR and Marketing’s director, Billy McKenna looks at how companies can get the most out of networking at trade exhibitions and composites events and conferences among others.
Networking? It’s just a talking shop. Chit-chat, bunny, bunny, rabbit, rabbit, as the old Chas and Dave song goes. This is what some people think networking is. Yet it is so much more.
Networking is about communicating and giving your business the personal touch. By talking as well as listening, be it face-to-face at an event or reaching out over social media, networking helps you forge long-lasting relationships which will keep your company front of mind.
Networking is not all about selling. For me, networking is about developing a personal connection with people who are, or could be, important to the success of our business. Be this a customer, employee, funder or supplier, the golden rule for successful networking is to show you value them and not just their pocket.
Take an interest in the person beyond the pure business issue. For example, once you’ve got to know them a bit, talk to them about their holiday or enquire after their children’s exam results. This shows you are interested in them as a person and not just as someone who will add value to your business.
This approach often results in the person reciprocating and asking about your holiday plans and before you know it you’re laughing about shared holiday experiences. You have now moved the relationship on from one that was purely business focused and transactional to one that has a more personal feel. And you begin to form a working friendship.
The take away here is that lots of businesses offer high quality products and a first-class service, but if you have developed a genuine personal connection with a customer and find out what they value, you are more likely to win their business than your competitor if you understand them better. At the end of the day, we all prefer working with people we like.
Navigating the cyber sea
Social media platforms offer another channel to network with a potentially new group of people, or to build on existing networks, and demonstrate knowledge and experience, through comments on industry-related news and interactions with other industry professionals. LinkedIn is a particularly important social media channel for business.
Social networking enables the forging of connections that cold calling and written communication are unable to form so strongly. However, don’t fall into the trap of failing to arrange to meet in person. Research shows that during face-to-face communication, body language accounts for 55% of the overall message, tone of voice for 38% and the words for just 7%!
Trade shows are rich with opportunities for a company to network, whether it has a stand or not. Attending a trade show is a great way to bolster your brand and showcase your products and services to an interested audience. Take plenty of business cards and jot down some notes on the back of their card to remind you of their interests and current projects.
Another golden rule is not to stare into your laptop or phone while on your stand. You are there to sell and to do that you need to be outward-facing, making eye contact and being friendly to visitors. You can spend the rest of the year answering emails or taking phone calls. Make the time count while on the stand. And if you do have to take a call or answer an email, and of course this happens, best to move away from the stand and only return when you are back in sales mode.
Seize the day
If you are visiting a trade show, seize every chance to strike up a conversation with exhibitors or other visitors. Show genuine interest in their products and services. If you are trying to sell to exhibitors, this can be very tricky and some shows ban what they call ‘canvassing’.
Make sure you only do this at quiet times or you’ll get short-shrift if you jump straight in to a sales pitch when their stand is busy with the exhibitors’ own customers. Remember they are there to win business so talking to you when they could be talking to a potential client will do nothing to progress your relationship!
We are fast approaching the largest annual gathering of composites and engineering professionals in the country - Advanced Engineering 2018, which includes a huge dedicated zone for composites. Make sure it is in your diary. Not only are there networking opportunities galore, there are also plentiful presentations where you could pick up a few tips.
Also, never underestimate a good contact. Be it an accountant, solicitor, insurance broker, widget supplier or even a PR and marketing agency – they may be able to assist with your network and relationship building.
Potential customers often recall helpful introductions like this and if they need your services in the future, you’ll be their first port of call. The lesson here is that networking is about relationship building and promoting a memorable reputation that will help retain current clients and encourage new ones.
Some people question if networking is a waste of time and money, supposing that they see the same old people at the same old events. In my experience you stop networking at your peril. You can quickly become ignorant to the latest developments within the industry if your head is constantly at the coal-face. Essentially, you could miss meeting that all-important customer or supplier who is going to catapult your company onto the next level.
There’s a useful analogy from football. The advice to strikers is that they’ve got to keep making the runs into the box, no matter how many times they haven’t received the pass because at some stage they will get the ball and put it into the net. And that’s exactly the same as networking – keep investing the effort and it will pay off, not all the time, but enough to make it worthwhile.
