Making Introductions That Last
Making Introductions That Last
A: Your primary goal in networking is to increase the amount of business you get. To do this, you must make meaningful contact with other business professionals who can use your services, refer someone else who can use your services, or both. One of the fundamental elements of this process is making effective introductions. The ideal introduction is brief and memorable--one that provides enough impact to arouse the interest of those to whom you're introducing yourself and get them to join your word-of-mouth team.
Think of networking as a relay race. Your personal introduction serves the same purpose as passing the baton from one runner to the next. Because you have to reach out and pass the baton to the next runner, and he or she in turn has to reach back and receive it, the baton pass is a cooperative effort.
When planning your personal introduction, your goal is to deliver information another person or group would be interested in hearing about, and recognize that they may be interested in giving you some information about themselves to pass to another runner.
The baton exchange takes place in an instant; there's no time or chance for a second attempt. If the baton is not placed in the open hand of the next runner, it will fall to the ground. Personal introductions can suffer the same fate. A poorly planned personal introduction can fall on deaf ears. It won't be passed on.
Whether you're introducing yourself to an individual or a group, you have a choice of how you deliver your message. The primary vehicle for your introduction is your verbal presentation.
Does your introduction work? People will judge not only the message, but also the messenger. How you look, carry yourself and listen will affect what others do with the message you've delivered. As you network, your underlying hope is that people will use your products or services and pass your message on to others who will also use your products or services.
When participating (even as a guest) in various business organizations, you may be asked to introduce yourself. Preparing a script for this process will improve your results. One of your scripts should be an overview of what you do. Other presentations can address various aspects of your product or service. Here is a recommended sequence for your brief introduction:
• Your name
• Your business or profession
• A brief description of your business or profession
• A memory hook that includes quick, ear-catching phrases
• A benefit statement of one particular product or service you offer--what you do that helps others
Your name and your business profession are easy enough. A brief description, a memory hook and a benefit statement can be separate items, but more often they are intertwined in your message. For example, it's easy to combine your business along with the benefits of your product or service. I suggest you tell people what you do as well as what you are: "I'm a financial planner, and I help people plan for their future," or "I'm an advertising and marketing consultant, and I help companies get the most out of their advertising dollar." These explanations are more effective than saying, "I do financial planning," or "I plan advertising campaigns."
In many situations, you'll be introducing yourself to only one or two people at a time. Some networking organizations have all the members stand at each meeting, and in round-robin fashion, give a one-minute overview to the entire group. If you're a member of a group like this, it's vitally important to vary your presentations.
Many people who are in business groups that meet every week have a tendency to say the same old thing time after time. From what I've seen, many weekly presentations are done weakly. If you don't give some thought to varying your introduction, many people will tune you out when you speak, because they've already heard your message several times. Your best bet is to give a brief overview, then concentrate on just one element of your business for the remaining part of your presentation.
By breaking your product or service down to its most basic form, or lowest common denominator, you will be able to effectively describe to other people the type of work you do. In other words, talk about:
• A specific product or service
• A selected target market
• Unique benefits to a particular group
• Your qualifications as a professional in your industry
Handouts or, if applicable, samples that you can show and discuss will help you make a strong impression. The more things people can see, hear, feel and touch, the more likely they are to remember your message. The more they remember, the more likely they are to refer you.
As you make presentations, always consider the needs of your audience and limit your discussion primarily to those areas. If you're giving a short presentation to a large group, focus on the part of your business you think will benefit most of the group. If you're talking to only one or two people, find out as much as you can about them.
If you take the time to develop good presentations, people will take notice. If you don't, you are losing a great opportunity to someone else who will.
________________________________________
Dr. Ivan Misner is the Founder and Chairman of BNI, the world's largest business networking organization, which has more than 4,600 chapters in 37 countries. Dr. Misner is also the author of several books, including the New York Times bestseller TRUTH OR DELUSION? (www.truthordelusion.com), and he is the Senior Partner for the Referral Institute (www.referralinstitute.com), a referral training company with operations around the world.
Making Introductions That Last - To learn more about this author, visit Ivan R. Misner's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
Q: What are some of the things I need to consider to improve my personal introduction to people at networking meetings?
A: Your primary goal in networking is to increase the amount of business you get. To do this, you must make meaningful contact with other business professionals who can use your services, refer someone else who can use your services, or both. One of the fundamental elements of this process is making effective introductions. The ideal introduction is brief and memorable--one that provides enough impact to arouse the interest of those to whom you're introducing yourself and get them to join your word-of-mouth team.
Think of networking as a relay race. Your personal introduction serves the same purpose as passing the baton from one runner to the next. Because you have to reach out and pass the baton to the next runner, and he or she in turn has to reach back and receive it, the baton pass is a cooperative effort.
When planning your personal introduction, your goal is to deliver information another person or group would be interested in hearing about, and recognize that they may be interested in giving you some information about themselves to pass to another runner.
The baton exchange takes place in an instant; there's no time or chance for a second attempt. If the baton is not placed in the open hand of the next runner, it will fall to the ground. Personal introductions can suffer the same fate. A poorly planned personal introduction can fall on deaf ears. It won't be passed on.
Whether you're introducing yourself to an individual or a group, you have a choice of how you deliver your message. The primary vehicle for your introduction is your verbal presentation.
Does your introduction work? People will judge not only the message, but also the messenger. How you look, carry yourself and listen will affect what others do with the message you've delivered. As you network, your underlying hope is that people will use your products or services and pass your message on to others who will also use your products or services.
When participating (even as a guest) in various business organizations, you may be asked to introduce yourself. Preparing a script for this process will improve your results. One of your scripts should be an overview of what you do. Other presentations can address various aspects of your product or service. Here is a recommended sequence for your brief introduction:
• Your name
• Your business or profession
• A brief description of your business or profession
• A memory hook that includes quick, ear-catching phrases
• A benefit statement of one particular product or service you offer--what you do that helps others
Your name and your business profession are easy enough. A brief description, a memory hook and a benefit statement can be separate items, but more often they are intertwined in your message. For example, it's easy to combine your business along with the benefits of your product or service. I suggest you tell people what you do as well as what you are: "I'm a financial planner, and I help people plan for their future," or "I'm an advertising and marketing consultant, and I help companies get the most out of their advertising dollar." These explanations are more effective than saying, "I do financial planning," or "I plan advertising campaigns."
In many situations, you'll be introducing yourself to only one or two people at a time. Some networking organizations have all the members stand at each meeting, and in round-robin fashion, give a one-minute overview to the entire group. If you're a member of a group like this, it's vitally important to vary your presentations.
Many people who are in business groups that meet every week have a tendency to say the same old thing time after time. From what I've seen, many weekly presentations are done weakly. If you don't give some thought to varying your introduction, many people will tune you out when you speak, because they've already heard your message several times. Your best bet is to give a brief overview, then concentrate on just one element of your business for the remaining part of your presentation.
By breaking your product or service down to its most basic form, or lowest common denominator, you will be able to effectively describe to other people the type of work you do. In other words, talk about:
• A specific product or service
• A selected target market
• Unique benefits to a particular group
• Your qualifications as a professional in your industry
Handouts or, if applicable, samples that you can show and discuss will help you make a strong impression. The more things people can see, hear, feel and touch, the more likely they are to remember your message. The more they remember, the more likely they are to refer you.
As you make presentations, always consider the needs of your audience and limit your discussion primarily to those areas. If you're giving a short presentation to a large group, focus on the part of your business you think will benefit most of the group. If you're talking to only one or two people, find out as much as you can about them.
If you take the time to develop good presentations, people will take notice. If you don't, you are losing a great opportunity to someone else who will.
________________________________________
Dr. Ivan Misner is the Founder and Chairman of BNI, the world's largest business networking organization, which has more than 4,600 chapters in 37 countries. Dr. Misner is also the author of several books, including the New York Times bestseller TRUTH OR DELUSION? (www.truthordelusion.com), and he is the Senior Partner for the Referral Institute (www.referralinstitute.com), a referral training company with operations around the world.
Making Introductions That Last - To learn more about this author, visit Ivan R. Misner's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
 | |
 |
No article feedback found. |
| |
Leave Your Feedback |
 | |
| |||
Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
|||
Cheryl MatthynssensCheryl is a life skills coach, licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor and a 20 year entrepreneur. Cheryl's dedication to achieving a life of balance led to her expanding her teaching from the simple managing of life's daily challenges to adding financial well being as well. A direct marketer with DrinkACT, she is gaining ground in the online community with her concepts of making sure business owners, entreprenuers and employees have well rounded life styles. She opened up a small affiliate site - The Balance Guide- to help others find resources for mental and emotional well being. Visit Cheryl's blog to see more of the diversity beyond business she has began offering online at www.thebalanceguide.blogspot.com - Visit Cheryl Matthynssens's Website |
|||
David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
|||
Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
|||
|
To learn more about the Evan Elite Author Program please contact us. | |||
 | |
|  |
Subscribe to Ivan's articles
 | |
|
|  |
 | |
|
| |
 | |||||||
|
 | ||
 |
||
|
||
 |
||
|
| ||
 |
| Have you written articles that would be of value to entrepreneurs? Become an expert on our site by publishing them! Expose yourself to a wide audience, drive more traffic to your website and get more sales! Click Here for details. |
|
|
 |
| Modeling the Masters: Learn the true secrets behind Walt Disney's business success factors & grow your company! Video produced by Phanta Media |
|
|
 |
"Learn straight from Evan how you can Make a Full Time Income (And More) from a Website"
Click Here To Learn More |
|
|
|
|
Get advice & tips from famous business owners, new articles by entrepreneur experts, my latest website updates, & special sneak peaks at what's to come!
|
|
|
 NichePreneur Mindset 3 Deadly Traps Increase productivity Self-Employment Guide Managing Growth |
|
 | ||
 |
Top Social Business Blogs
Top Social Entrepreneur Blogs | |
 |
Top 50 Blogs For Startups
Top Blogs To Watch In 2008 | |
| ||
 | ||||
| ||||
|
| ||||
| ||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
|
Email us your ideas on how to make our website more valuable! Thank you Sharon from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for your suggestions to make the newsletter look like the website and profile younger entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez and Sean Combs!
|
|
|
