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Imagine
this: You are in a big room filled with people and as you look up
you see a page holding up a sign with our name on it. It seems that
a Mr. Frank Schmidt over on the other side of the room is requesting
a 'networking' tete a tete with you. This meeting isn't taking take
place in the 1950's but in the year 2000 in Dusseldorf, Germany.
That's not the way it's done here.
Networking here is a way of life; that means you can promote your
business whenever you get your hair cut, have coffee in a coffee
house, sell your car, stand in a movie line or attend a strategically
chosen meeting that will hopefully help advance your ventures (and
make you some new friends too).
While doing informal interviews at the Silicon Valley World Internet
Center in Palo Alto the other day, the consensus was that the following
points were definitely needed to network effectively:
Be genuine
Everyone can spot a phony, so when you approach people at a meeting
be genuinely interested in them and in what they do ? otherwise
you will be a guaranteed turn-off. Keep in mind, networking is not
selling, you are there to try to form a relationship that lasts
and is beneficial to all parties involved.
Ask first what Others do, then volunteer your Information
If you get people to tell you what they do first and are willing
to actively listen, they are much more amenable to listening to
you. It has to be a win/win situation from the beginning.
Don't be too direct, or as they say here, 'don't come on too
strong'!
Some Germans have made the rounds of networking groups in the Silicon
Valley and when they came out at the other end, they had managed
to burn any bridges to never return again. People here value a softer
approach.
Use simple Language
Simple doesn't mean simplistic. Many people in 'the Valley' have
tons of higher education, big words don't impress.
Have an Elevator Speech
Sometimes, when talking to people or even hearing their presentations,
it often takes more than 5 minutes ( or never) to understand what
they do. The point is to have practiced a short, effective speech
explaining your business ? people are not known here for their patience.
Have a good Business Card on you at all Times
Name, job title, name of business, address, phone-cell-fax number,
email address and web site and maybe a one-liner explaining what
you business is about.
Angelika Blendstrup, PhD, is a business communications consultant
(www.professional-business-communications.com)
who helps foreign-born executives with problems understanding the
complexities of American business culture and the English language
to communicate effectively. Learn more about
Angelika...
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