It is winter, the rain may be coming down and you have a ton of things to get done before the end of the year. Still do not let anything deter you from seizing every opportunity to reinforce your contacts and make new connections. This is a great time of year to expand your sphere of influence and your pipeline for next year.
Follow these ideas to make your connections count during the holidays:
Accept all invitations
You will get invited to open houses, office receptions and business gatherings. Go to everything. If you are not enjoying yourself after a while you can slip out or tell the host or hostess you just wanted to stop by, you have another event to attend. Everyone will be doing the same thing. No one will expect you to stay all night during this season.
Invite people to go where you are going
Colleagues, vendors and other contacts will want to get together with you for a holiday lunch. Instead of allocating several afternoons to one-on-one encounters with people you all ready know consider inviting these same people to join you in attending one of the events already on your calendar. You can always meet for a beverage before hand. Unless an event is “sit down style” most hosts welcome another guest. Etiquette would say it is always a good idea to ask the host or hostess in advance.
Create rapport
Put your attention on the person you are talking to. Make eye contact, smile and give a good handshake. Ask questions about things that interest them. My favorite question to ask is ‘What is new and exciting?’ or ‘What are you looking forward to?’
Remember names
People will remember you when you remember them. Make an effort to learn and remember names and use them in conversation. When you are introduced- repeat the name out loud and use it again in conversation within the first two minutes.
Ask for a business card from someone when you meet them
After you leave, note on the card, write where you met them or something about them that will help you remember them when you look at their card later. Also note any action items you agreed to do, i.e., follow-up with them next week or send a brochure.
Send a note
After you meet someone you want in your sphere of influence, always send them a handwritten note. The note need not say much more than “nice to meet you.” Print note cards with your photo on them to insure that people will remember who you are, and your note will make more impact. Don’t send someone a solicitation letter after meeting them at a party.
Organize your own holiday event
It does not have to be anything fancy, an informal gathering in your home or ask everyone to meet in a particular place after work for some holiday cheer. Invite people you want to get to know better and ask people to bring friends.
Making contact is most important
If you are holding an event or inviting others to join you at an event over invite four times the number of people you would like to have there. Yes everyone is busy this time of year, more importantly it is making the contact that is important whether or not they attend. An invitation from you, puts you on their mind and that is where you want to be.
Business is not about what you do or how you do it. Business is about relationships, about helping others overcome their challenges and meet their objectives, about finding out what needs to be done and doing it. This is a great time of year to solidify current and cultivate new business relationships.
I really strive to remember names and send a personal note all year round and agree that it’s very important for creating rapport – It just takes a few moments to create a lasting impression.
Cathy – I love this tip –> “Ask for a business card from someone when you meet them” … your follow up cards, emails, and other communication will mean so much more if you can make it personal — and making a note about your connection with them on the back of their card will help you reference your conversation, your connection, or your relationship in your follow up :)
Very timely! This week I was contemplating having an informal holiday breakfast or lunch at my house, or maybe at my co-working facility. Still trying to work out the logistics on that, but great advice to ask way more than I hope to attend. Everyone DOES have plenty of other offers out there! Just knowing that they received an invitation is almost as good as them attending!
Thanks.
There is so much focus on online marketing and technology these days for business owners, and for very good reason as they are awesome tools that remove geography and increase efficiency in our businesses. But there is nothing like the personal connection. Having an offline marketing process – such as following up with a card or note, and making the time to meet in person will accelerate your business by far. And besides, it feels good! Happy holidays!
Cathy, these are excellent and effective tips that the average person just overlooks them. It is the little things that helps you connect with others. A nice to meet you card is impressive and genuine. I have always worked hard on remembering someone’s name when introduced. It is the most beautiful sound to his/her ears and shows you care right from the beginning.
Great article! I am sharing with my team.
Thanks everyone for your comments. I am thrilled you resonated with my message. As we move into 2013 be sure to have both a high tech and a high touch. marketing plan.