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MARKETING Everything You Need To Know About Voice-Over Networking, You Learned In High School April 24, 2018  By Paul StefanoVoice Actor Are you having trouble using networking to grow your business? Do you find it hard to meet people at business events? Are you a "wall flower" at networking functions? It doesn't have to be that hard. Use these three strategies at your next industry get together, and you'll be growing your network in no time. The best part: you probably already learned all this in High School, or the singles scene shortly thereafter! I should preface this by saying the great part about business-to-business marketing, at least until our robot overlords completely take over, is that it really is all about the people! Talking to people and having real conversations is the best way to create meaningful long lasting relationships. Then, the business will come because as the saying goes, people like doing business with people they like! So, on to the three strategies I use to network, that have served me for the past 20 years. 1- THE WING MAN (Or Wing-Person, as we probably should call it now.) When going to an event, find somebody you know and team up. Heck, even bring somebody with you. You can call them a friend, an accountability buddy, or even a crutch! Just make sure there is someone else you know at the event, who is willing to meet people with you. There is safety in numbers. You already know this! It's the same way you traveled around your high school dance with either your best buddy, or closest girlfriend. Now, as you go around the room, bring your friend with you. From here you can go one of two ways:
2. THE DRIVE-BY You know this one too. Remember at the football pep rally when you saw that cute guy near the hot chocolate? Same principle here. Find someone you want to talk to, near the exhibit table, or the bar. Casually walk up and say, "Hi, I'm Steve, I was headed to the Vendor area, care to join me?" Sometimes the answer is "Yes! I was just about to go myself!" Of course, sometimes the answer is "No," but you have still planted the seed of the introduction. Which brings me to the third strategy ... 3. THE MOLE This sounds sinister, but really it's not. This is the equivalent of having your girlfriend pass the "do you like Mary" note to a boy in class. I'm sure you have done this at parties already. You pick a colleague, probably somebody who you already know has connections at a certain a event, and send them on a reconnaissance mission. Again, there are a few ways to play this one.
I have used these for years to wonderful results. And the best part? You already know them. You probably learned it all High School. ------------------ ABOUT PAUL Paul Stefano is a voice actor with more than 20 years of experience, focusing today on narration, eLearning and audiobooks. He also co-hosts The VO Meter podcast, helping newcomers to the business. Email: paulstefano@gmail.com Web: www.PaulStefano.com The VO Meter Podcast: https://vometer.com |
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You definitely hit the nail on the head ! So true regarding networking strategies that yes, we did learn in High School and we were just too naïve to know we were networking or at least I was. Guilty as charged. Thank you for shedding some light on the basics of networking. I have used these techniques many a time over the years and they do work. Thanks again !