Snow, Ice and networking.
The weather forecast was pretty grim – extremely low temperatures, “snow dumps” caused by Storm Emma and so on. But I had booked onto one of Brighton’s better networking events at the Amex Stadium and I was determined to show my resilience by turning up regardless of weather. As it happened, the weather did not materialise and I was very early along with scores of other business owners who had also made sure they could make it!
One benefit was that I had more informal networking opportunities. I asked business owners what they expected from the event. I got a whole range of answers including getting contacts, raising profile, keeping in contact with people. These responses reminded me of the stuff in Andy Bound’s book “The Jelly Effect” which is all about getting the most benefit from networking and other sales activities.
He says that before the event you need to be clear on who you want to meet or can give you good referrals (“big fish”). He also describes what to say when asked “what do you do?” Describe what you do, he says, in terms of what will benefit the listener, not a long description of your business history, processes and products. For example, a website designer could say “we produce websites that help businesses grow their sales”.
“The Jelly Effect” has had a big influence on me and my clients. If you haven’t yet read it, put it at the top of your list. It’s an easy read, with stuff you can use straightaway.
