A Networking Lesson from the General Election Campaign

As I write this we have 10 days to go until the UK General Election. Until April 15th the Public Opinion Polls were predicting the following share of votes:
Conservative 36%
Labour 31%
Liberal Democrat 20%
Other 13%
The conservatives were in the lead and two thirds of the votes were predicted to be shared between them and Labour. The Liberal Democrats trailed in third with 20%.

Three days later the Liberal Democrat share had increased dramatically and they had moved into second place. Their support remains at this level according to the latest 'poll of polls':
Conservative 35%
Liberal Democrat 29%
Labour 28%
Other 8%

So what happened?

On the evening of April 15th we saw the first ever live TV debate between the main party leaders during a General Election Campaign. The leader of the Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg, was generally acknowledged to have won the debate against his  Conservative and Labour rivals, David Cameron and Nick Clegg. 

If he had not taken part he would not have won and that is the networking lesson to learn.

Most networking groups give their members the opportunity to share their expertise and raise their profile by speaking at events. I have, however, seen people refuse opportunities to speak because they feel they are not ready or the circumstances are not quite right. 

If you don't feel ready then prepare a few options and the next time you get the opportunity take the plunge and volunteer to speak. Your audience will be on your side and it's a great way of helping people understand when and how to advocate you!

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke

What you say is less important ...

Have you ever agonised about what you are going to say to others at a networking meeting? Perhaps you have changed your mind as you listened to others. This could be in a 1 or 2 minute presentation or when someone asks the dreaded question, "what do you do?".

What you say is not the most important thing. What others say when you are not there is key. So spend less time trying to craft the perfect pitch and more time listening to others to find a connection and spark a conversation. It's during the conversation you find ways to help and demonstrate your value. People remember and talk about that far more then your initial pitch.

Success in business networking is not down to what you say about you, it's what others say. That makes what you do more important than what you say.

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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Engaging with people in Networking

I was talking with an NRG member today about his experiences presenting Seminars at NRG Business Networking Lunch Events. He shared that he had received 2 referrals from people at each of the last 2 talks, but none for the 2 before those. The only thing that differed was that he did not use a PowerPoint presentation in the last 2 and felt the audience was much more engaged with him as a result.

Finding ways of engaging with the people you regularly meet networking are vital in getting to build strong business relationships. Presenting to your group is a great way of engaging and adding value to the others. An experience of you sharing your expertise first hand goes a long way to establishing your credibility and building trust in you and your services.

How many speaking slots do you have in your diary?

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
Get 7 networking secrets for business success

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Sharing your expertise with your network in 10 minutes

Many networking groups give you the opportunity to speak for 10 minutes to the group to let them know more about you and what you do. I know the prospect terrifies some people, but a well delivered 10 minutes is a great way of building your profile.

If you are nervous about it then why not get the Group Host to interview you. I saw this done recently and it worked really well. The speaker was in financial services and the host asked beforehand for the 3 biggest issues that his clients were currently facing?

The host then introduced the 10 minute speaker and asked for his advice on these 3 things with a question and answer approach. It worked really well and the speaker came over as knowledgeable, credible and helpful. All great for building his reputation.

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
Get 7 networking secrets for business success

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Seminars and sharing your expertise with your network

For someone to advocate you and your services they will probably need some experience of what you do at some stage. One of the challenges in building your network of advocates is how do you give others this experience when they are unlikely to be customers.

One great way to do this is by delivering seminars and a number of networks include this type of activity. In fact most of our NRG networking events include a member delivered seminar.

In the business networking research we commissioned a couple of years back one respondent shared this:

"I do not do any cold calling - all my business comes from networking and referrals. Networking is not about selling - it's about building relationships. Much of the business is as a result of doing a presentation where I share my secrets..."

Would your expertise lend itself to a good seminar?

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
Get 7 networking secrets for business success

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Be prepared for speaking slots

The seminar presenter at a recent monthly NRG London Charing Cross Networking Event was unavoidably out of the country and unable to attend. One of the members, Cali Bird, stepped forward and presented a great seminar on Time Management in his place.

She shared her expertise and inspired the audience to take some of the steps required to achieve their personal and business goals. She certainly built her reputation and will be at the forefront of the minds of the attendees when they see an opportunity for someone like Cali.

Sharing your expertise in this way is a great way of giving value and growing advocates for you and your business.

If you get the opportunity are you ready to speak?

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
Get 7 networking secrets for business success

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business networking | business networking events | business networking podcast

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