Five Keys to an Effective Business Introduction

What is your goal when you attend a business networking event? Are you there just to collect business cards or do you have an effective strategy that will help build a relationship?

Name yourself.

The people you meet at business events want to know who you are. Use both your first and last name. Speak slowly and clearly. If you have ever listened to a phone message more than once just to catch the name of the person who has left you a message, you understand the importance of this key. Listen to your own voice. Do your listeners immediately recognize whether you are a man or woman, what regional dialect identifies you, and whether you sound educated, in terms of grammar, etc? If you have any concerns, work with someone who can help you.

At a live event, wear a name tag if possible. If you write your own when you arrive, be sure your name is large enough to be seen from a handshake distance and legible. Stand to shake hands if possible. It shows respect for the other person and also makes your name tag easier to read. In a crowded event, it will also help the other person hear you clearly.

Name your business.

As you tell the name of your business, you might also have the opportunity to mention your tagline. You are doing well if your business name and tagline create a problem/solution scenario in your listener's mind. The best business name and tagline combination leads your listener to ask, "Oh, really? How do you do that?" Consider yourself extremely fortunate if that happens. If it does, be prepared to tell briefly what you do to solve the imagined problem. Be ready to tell a story about your service to others. If you are telling a story about a client relationship, do not name the other person or give any identifying attributes that will alert the other person to your client's identity. If you already have established a permission marketing strategy with the other client, you might be able to reveal their identity. If you do so, you must let your listener know that you have obtained permission from the previous client to reveal who they are. Otherwise, the person you just met may believe that you will talk about them as well.

Ask for the same information from the other person.

Be seen as generous. I believe it is better to obtain the kind of information spoken of in the previous section of this article from the other person first. You can initiate that conversation at the beginning by asking open-ended questions of the other person. Let them tell their story. Comment favorably on it and segue into revealing your own business name, tagline, scenario, and so on. As the other person speaks, maintain eye contact and use body language that indicates you are an active listener. Nothing is more discourteous than "looking over someone's shoulder" as they speak with you.

Excuse yourself when it is time to move on.

Be courteous. You might part by asking if you may refer to them. Mention that it was a pleasure to meet them and have a conversation with them. You might ask if they have a business card. I think it is best if you wait to be asked before you offer yours. Be sure to recognize the signals from the other person that they are ready to move on as well. They may be ready to move on before you are. Allow a professional exit.

Follow up.

If you did receive contact information from the other person, be the first to initiate follow up. In your message by mail, email, or telephone, reference the event and your conversation with them. Express appreciation specifically for something they said to you. You might even mention that you are looking forward to seeing them again at another event. Depending on the budding business relationship, you might even offer a coffee meet.

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