Fruitful Networking

Last evening I attended a networking mixer sponsored by an organization that is making a difference in this community. I have been attending its offerings for more than a year. I was attracted to them because they offered a nice balance of networking mixers and learning opportunities. These were forty-five minute presentations by consultants and successful business owners, including myself. They did not attract large numbers of attendees, but they were well worth giving up part of a workday and were held in excellent facilities for the purpose.

Because they take you away from your work schedule, they can create feelings of guilt because you are not in your office or making calls. For this reason, the burden of making them useful to you rests on speaker's shoulders. They must perform well and deliver valuable content.

The heavily attended evening mixers don't create guilt. They allow you to feel relaxed by including food, with wine and beer available for purchase. The burden of making them useful is on your shoulders and you better make them useful enough to justify the pain in your legs and feet from standing. I make them useful by listening, listening some more, and creating the beginning of a relationship with no more than two, new to me people, during a single Mixer. I do this by walking up to a person that knows me well and listening to his/her conversation with someone that is a stranger to me. This is my favorite method, however, sometimes I just walk up to group of total strangers and attentively listen, saying nothing until one of them brings me into the conversation.

Last evening I learned more about the skill of a fellow Kiwanian's husband. He is a painter, as in portraits, scenic vistas etc. He has unique business cards; each bear's a different one of his paintings. He doesn't hand you a card, he hands you a selection, which forces you to look at them while he says,

"Which one do you like, I will sign a limited edition print for you."

That is an effective selling approach, brief, to the point, demonstrative, and bound to start a conversation.

Next, I walked up to two women listening to a friend of mine; he noticed me, finished his thought,

"Have you two met Wes Zimmerman? He has written a wonderful book."


"Wes, you were at the same breakfast table with me at a presentation a few weeks ago. I remember you now. You gave each of us a bookmark."

"I wasn't there, what is the book about?"

Before I could speak, my friend, Bill Austin did

"Do you have a business plan? If you haven't answered the twenty-seven questions in his book with yes, your business will fail. The first two chapters tell about how you create a positive perception in the minds of customers and how customers buy. They decide they will buy from you someday, because of that perception. The third chapter has the twenty-seven questions you must be able to answer about everything you think you want to sell. The rest of the book tells you how the first three chapters apply to real life, in a way you cannot forget."

"You are really sold on that book."

"Yes, and you should buy and read it. I learn something from it every time I open it."

In the conversation that followed I gave each of the women a bookmark and told them about my new Blog site. Needless to say, I have their business cards and will follow up with a "thank you for your time", today.



From that experience, which I obviously remember vividly, I moved on and stopped to listen to two attractive women and two men. I was not close to them or intrusive, positioned at the opening of the loose U formation they had formed as they talked. One by one three of them moved on and the third introduced him-self to me. We had a good conversation, in which we shared something of our experience and during which he respectfully asked my age and then asked something that really impressed me,

"What has motivated you, through-out life?

"Early in life I had an encounter with the Lord and felt that He wanted me to help people. I have been doing that ever since with those who come into my life in ways, and for reasons I will never know."

We talked a bit more, he asked for my card and asked if I would join him for coffee soon so we could talk more. I said yes, of course. He said he would contact me soon. Some how I am sure he will and I look forward to it. He has my bookmark, as well as my card.

When I got home Amy asked,

"Was it worth the time and effort?"

What do you think I told her?

Labels: networking