If you’ve never been to a speed networking event, it’s a lot like speed dating, only better.
Remove all of the stress that comes along with trying to impress the opposite sex and add in a gong, group dancing circle and a 15-minute prep workshop.
That’s how we do it on Long Island. Last year, I hosted my second speed networking event and the women had a blast.
We started off in a large circle getting our groove on and calling people into the middle to shake their thing... just to break the ice. Then we sat down and worked on our pitch that started with WHY we do what we do. When everyone had their pitch ready to go, we blasted the gong and the speed networking began.
As women circled the room pitching their businesses they had 2 minutes to make an impact before switching to the person across from them. After 4 minutes, we rotated and moved on to the next until they made it to each person in the room. By nights end, they had made friends, new connections, laughed and had a great time.
Here are a few lessons learned:
Don’t try to take copious notes. Instead, bring a pen and jot down a few key bullets on their business card.
Don’t try to connect with everyone. Pick the people that you can benefit you/your business or try to be a connector for others.
Don’t tell people you’re a lawyer, financial advisor, or some other generic job title.
Do tell them why you do what you do and speak from a place of passion. After hearing someone’s pitch, try to learn something more about them rather than the typical networking questions. Try some of these: Who is your ideal client? What’s your favorite part about your job? What do you do for fun outside of work?
Learning about someone on a more personal level opens up the door for you to find more to connect with them on and the ability to connect them with others.
Try to be a selfless connector. Don’t connect always expecting something in return. Connect selflessly because you want to help and support others. What goes around comes around.
Speed Networking is fun, high energy and a great way to meet a lot of people in a short period of time. The best part is, you don’t get stuck speaking to anybody for too long that isn’t the right lead for you.
Click here for details about our upcoming Speed Networking event on November 19th at Louie's in Port Washington, New York.