Networking Tips For Beginners

HOW TO PREP FOR YOUR FIRST NETWORKING EVENT

EP 61 - IF YOU ARE NEW TO NETWORKING, THIS EPISODE IS FOR YOU.

My name is Debbie DeChambeau, I’m your host, I’m an entrepreneur, business advisor, insurance professional  and content creator. I want to inspire you to think differently and explore ideas that disrupt the status quo. 

When I’m not helping individuals with insurance, I facilitate business development groups. Before COVID, they were all in person. Today, they are all virtual. I facilitate 5 a week and have been doing this straight through COVID! 

For years I’ve been told I’m a great facilitator, but transitioning the skills to virtual has taken some time. I think I’ve mastered it, but I’m always observing others and tweaking my skills. I create the agenda’s and because I’ve been doing this for so long and I’m a lifelong learner, I usually add some golden nuggets to help with the topic of discussion.

Recently we had a discussion about networking and members were asked to share their best networking tip for someone new to networking. I’ve compiled them and added some commentary, hoping these ideas will help you become a better networker. If you’ve been locked down in COVID, if you are new to networking or if you want to be a better networker, I think you’ll appreciate some of these ideas. I’m going to share the tip that was provided and then add some commentary to help you understand the context and how you might incorporate the idea into your own style.

For this conversation, let’s assume that you are going to an event that is specific for networking. It could be an event that has 10 people or 100, the number there really doesn’t matter. In my opinion, the number of attendees really doesn’t matter. If you are at the right event with the right people, you’ll get value.

In preparation for this event, here’s a few tips that were provided:

• Networking is a long game and doesn’t happen overnight.
• Plan ahead what you want to get out of the meeting/ goals/ who are you looking to meet/ engage the other person and get to know them vs. them really getting to know you. 
• If you know who is going to be at the event, research 2-3 people that you really want to meet 
• Set a goal, maybe to meet 5 new people, force yourself out of your comfort zone 
• Try to diversify your network - don’t be afraid to network outside of your sphere Good reason to follow up with everyone!
• Plan time for follow up - need a plan for this
• Block time on your calendar 
• Connect on LinkedIn / Social
• Send an email
• Send a handwritten note
• Follow up with everyone 
• Go to the event alone - encourages you to step out of your comfort zone and to talk to people you don’t know.
• Key to networking is to network, don't stand in a corner alone
• Get there early, be one of the first ones to pick up the name / tag, there's a few people you know, just in case 
• Force yourself to just show up 
• Save alcohol and food for later

Try different type of events at first to see what works best for you and what feels most comfortable - i.e. big events vs. small; lunches or happy hours 

• Initially,  you might go to every event, but afterwhile, you’ll need and want to be more selective about the events that you attend. 
• Understand who you are targeting and attend events that are focused on your target market 

Have your intro prepared so that it sounds polished but not salsey. Have a simple 5-10 seconds/ 30 seconds and a 60 second intro prepared because you never know what amount of time you’ll be allotted. 

• 15 second: My name is Debbie DeChambeau, I’m a medicare broker and I help people navigate the Medicare Maze
• 30 second: My name is Debbie DeChambeau, I help people navigate the Medicare maze by educating them on their options, answering questions and researching the best plans based on their lifestyle
• 60 second: My name is Debbie Dechambeau, I am a Medicare broker, working with people that are turning 65, retiring or on disability and in need of Medicare Insurance. I help people understand all of the rules around Medicare and also educate them on their options from original medicare to medicare advantage (you know, those Joe Namath commercials) and everything in between. This includes dental, vision, hearing and cancer. We talk about some of the things they can expect from Medicare and how to plan accordingly.
• Practicing your introduction

NOT SURE WHAT TO TALK ABOUT?

Think about the following:

• FORD - FAMILY, OCCUPATION, RECREATION, DREAMS
• Try to connect with people on a personal level. If you don't feel a vibe, you probably won't connect professionally
• Relax and let yourself off the hook. It’s about having a conversation that is hopefully memorable. Your conversations don’t have to be work related. Remember, the first meeting is a starting point.

When you meet with someone that you already know, 

• ask them how you can help them 
• ask them to tell you something about what they do that you don’t already know.

Be patient, know that it's not going to happen overnight, need to build the relationship; Before you get referrals, people need to know, like and trust you. One way to start that is to see what you can do to help someone else. Try to give more than you receive

VIRTUAL EVENTS

• Virtually, put your contact information in the chat. 
• Save the chat, be sure to follow up