Getting the Most out of Tucson Hispanic Chamber Networking Events

Sam William, New View Group

Getting the Most out of Tucson Hispanic Chamber Networking Events
By Sam Williams, New View Group

1. Learn New Skills at the Networking Workshop. This 3 hour workshop begins with the basics of networking at Mixers, Lunches and other events and end with advanced techniques such as ‘engaging,’ ‘disengaging’ and ‘tag teaming.’ Attendees receive a 16 page manual summarizing the key elements of the workshop and providing references for further reading.

This workshop planned for August regularly sells out, so register as soon as you receive the notice in order to reserve your spot. Members who register receive an Excel file containing the names and contact information of the 75 or so people who attend.

2. Practice New Skills at the Better Networking Lunch. Practice your elevator speech up to five times and meet 45 new people. Members who register receive an Excel file containing the names and contact information of the 140 or so people who attend.

3. Schedule Networking Opportunities. There are up to four networking opportunities each month. Make it a point to put them on your calendar at least a month in advance so that you don’t miss any.

Mixers are always held on the 1st Thursday of each month and have between 60 and 100 attendees.

Lunches are held on the 3rd Thursday of each month and have from 80 to 140 attendees.

Workshops are scheduled on the 2nd and 4th weeks of the month and have about 50 attendees.

Excel files containing the contact information of all attendees are provided to Members who register.

4. Review the Chamber’s List of Members. Members receive a free CD containing the names and contact information of all the other members. Look for and note the names of those you would like to meet. Look for them at events or call ahead to ask if they plan to attend.

5. Create or Improve Your Elevator Speech. What is an Elevator Speech? It’s a 30 – 45 second script that briefly and concisely informs listeners of the following:

Your name and job title;

The name of your company, what it does and what, if anything, makes it unique;

The top 2 – 3 problems that you solve for your clients;

A brief description of your ideal Prospect, and;

A closing question: “Can you think of anyone here today whom I might be able to help?

You can view an 8 minute video on how to create an Elevator Speech in Spanish at http://www.hispanicbic.org/playVideo.php?lang=es&videoId=23.

For English, go to http://www.hispanicbic.org/playVideo.php?videoId=23.

6. Arrive early or at least on time. Doing so will allow you to meet more people.

7. Wear a Name Tag. Print your name and the name of your company on one of the adhesive ones provided by the Chamber. Many people prefer to bring and wear magnetic name tags produced by companies like BadgeMan.

8. Warm Up. Introduce yourself to the people standing in the registration line with you. Ask them who they are and what they do. If there’s time and it makes sense to do so, deliver your Elevator Speech. Once you are in the room, say “Hi” to one or two of the people you already know but be sure to break away after a few minutes so that you meet people you don’t yet know.

9. Engaging Strangers. Start with a ‘singleton,’ someone not yet engaged with others. You’ll find them at the bar, appetizer table or just coming out of the registration line. Then enter a group of two or three where you know at least one person. Say “Hi” to your acquaintance and ask him or her to introduce you.

10. Tongue Tied? Get the other person talking by asking questions like “Tell me about yourself” and “And what do you do?” Then, deliver your Elevator Speech with any modifications that suit the circumstances.

11. Tag team Partners. For those who are shy, consider teaming up with someone you know who is outgoing and gregarious. This person is called a “tag team” partner. Ask your tag team partner to enter any group of strangers ahead of you. After a few minutes, approach the group and ask your tag team partner to introduce you. At that point or shortly thereafter, your tag team partner will disengage from the group to find another one. You can follow a few minutes later.

12. Interesting Prospects. Expect to remain in conversation with an individual for only 3 – 5 minutes. If you would like to have an extended conversation, don’t expect to have it then and there, because someone will soon arrive to interrupt. Ask the person if s/he would like to have a cup of coffee, lunch or drink after work sometime in the next couple of weeks. Exchange businesses cards and disengage, saying something like, “Great meeting you! I’ll call to set up a time to meet in the next day or so, if that’s OK with you.”

13. Disengaging. Another approach at breaking away and moving on is to say something like, “I’ve really enjoyed getting to know you but I don’t want to monopolize your time. I’m sure we’ll bump into each other again this evening. Bye.”

“Do I have your business card? Oh, thanks very much, and here’s mine. It was great talking with you. See you a little later on. Bye.”

Of course, you can always politely leave whenever another person enters the group.

14. Following up. Remember that it can take about 1 – 3 hours of follow-up time for each hour you spend at a networking event.

First take all of the business cards you collected and wrap them up with a rubber band or place them in an envelope or small zip lock bag. Write on each card the name and date of the event (THCC Mixer, 8/5/10), any relevant information (table mate, also knows ‘so and so,’ boss’s name is…, etc.) and a grade of RP, A, B or C.

‘RP’ stands for a Referral Partner, someone who targets products like yours but who provides non-competitive offerings. Give an ‘A’ to someone who looks like a good prospect and a ‘B’ to someone who is a suspect (an unqualified prospect). A ‘C’ can be whatever you want it to be. Some cards won’t have any grade but can still be valuable for mapping an organization from the bottom up.

Put your annotated business cards next to your computer key board. Then make the time to enter the information from cards of interest into your contact data base or a simple Excel spreadsheet. Friday afternoons or weekends are perfect times for doing this. The fastest way to enter the information is to wait to receive your copy of the Event Excel file about 2 business days following the event. Then simply copy and paste the information from one file into the other. Remember, in order to receive it you must be a Member and have registered for the event.

You can research each company of interest by going to: https://librarycatalog.pima.gov/patroninfo~S8?/0/redirect=/validate?url=http%3A%2F%2F0-www.referenceusa.com.librarycatalog.pima.gov%3A80%2F

(You will have to make a onetime investment 45 minutes to get your Pima County Library card and PIN so that you can access this free business data base.)

15. Generate Revenue. Now you are ready to contact and cultivate your RP’s, A’s and B’s. In a little while a single “hot” referral or purchase from them will pay for your Membership dues many times over!

Sam Williams is a member of the Chamber and is a Board Member. He is president of New View Group, LLC, and can be contacted at swilliams@newviewgroup.net or (520) 390-0586. New View Group provides revenue development consulting to CEOs and sales skills and sales management training to B2B sales teams.


Getting the Most out of Tucson Hispanic Chamber Networking Events Sam William, New View Group Getting the Most out of Tucson Hispanic Chamber Networking Events By Sam Williams, New View Group 1. Learn New Skills at the Networking Workshop. This 3 hour workshop begins with the basics of networking at Mixers, Lunches and other events and end with advanced techniques such as ‘engaging,’ ‘disengaging’ and ‘tag teaming.’ Attendees receive a 16 page manual summarizing the key elements of the workshop and providing references for further reading. This workshop planned for August regularly sells out, so register as soon as you receive the notice in order to reserve your spot. Members who register receive an Excel file containing the names and contact information of the 75 or so people who attend. 2. Practice New Skills at the Better Networking Lunch. Practice your elevator speech up to five times and meet 45 new people. Members who register receive an Excel file containing the names and contact information of the 140 or so people who attend. 3. Schedule Networking Opportunities. There are up to four networking opportunities each month. Make it a point to put them on your calendar at least a month in advance so that you don’t miss any. Mixers are always held on the 1st Thursday of each month and have between 60 and 100 attendees. Lunches are held on the 3rd Thursday of each month and have from 80 to 140 attendees. Workshops are scheduled on the 2nd and 4th weeks of the month and have about 50 attendees. Excel files containing the contact information of all attendees are provided to Members who register. 4. Review the Chamber’s List of Members. Members receive a free CD containing the names and contact information of all the other members. Look for and note the names of those you would like to meet. Look for them at events or call ahead to ask if they plan to attend. 5. Create or Improve Your Elevator Speech. What is an Elevator Speech? It’s a 30 – 45 second script that briefly and concisely informs listeners of the following: Your name and job title; The name of your company, what it does and what, if anything, makes it unique; The top 2 – 3 problems that you solve for your clients; A brief description of your ideal Prospect, and; A closing question: “Can you think of anyone here today whom I might be able to help? You can view an 8 minute video on how to create an Elevator Speech in Spanish at http://www.hispanicbic.org/playVideo.php?lang=es&videoId=23. For English, go to http://www.hispanicbic.org/playVideo.php?videoId=23. 6. Arrive early or at least on time. Doing so will allow you to meet more people. 7. Wear a Name Tag. Print your name and the name of your company on one of the adhesive ones provided by the Chamber. Many people prefer to bring and wear magnetic name tags produced by companies like BadgeMan. 8. Warm Up. Introduce yourself to the people standing in the registration line with you. Ask them who they are and what they do. If there’s time and it makes sense to do so, deliver your Elevator Speech. Once you are in the room, say “Hi” to one or two of the people you already know but be sure to break away after a few minutes so that you meet people you don’t yet know. 9. Engaging Strangers. Start with a ‘singleton,’ someone not yet engaged with others. You’ll find them at the bar, appetizer table or just coming out of the registration line. Then enter a group of two or three where you know at least one person. Say “Hi” to your acquaintance and ask him or her to introduce you. 10. Tongue Tied? Get the other person talking by asking questions like “Tell me about yourself” and “And what do you do?” Then, deliver your Elevator Speech with any modifications that suit the circumstances. 11. Tag team Partners. For those who are shy, consider teaming up with someone you know who is outgoing and gregarious. This person is called a “tag team” partner. Ask your tag team partner to enter any group of strangers ahead of you. After a few minutes, approach the group and ask your tag team partner to introduce you. At that point or shortly thereafter, your tag team partner will disengage from the group to find another one. You can follow a few minutes later. 12. Interesting Prospects. Expect to remain in conversation with an individual for only 3 – 5 minutes. If you would like to have an extended conversation, don’t expect to have it then and there, because someone will soon arrive to interrupt. Ask the person if s/he would like to have a cup of coffee, lunch or drink after work sometime in the next couple of weeks. Exchange businesses cards and disengage, saying something like, “Great meeting you! I’ll call to set up a time to meet in the next day or so, if that’s OK with you.” 13. Disengaging. Another approach at breaking away and moving on is to say something like, “I’ve really enjoyed getting to know you but I don’t want to monopolize your time. I’m sure we’ll bump into each other again this evening. Bye.” “Do I have your business card? Oh, thanks very much, and here’s mine. It was great talking with you. See you a little later on. Bye.” Of course, you can always politely leave whenever another person enters the group. 14. Following up. Remember that it can take about 1 – 3 hours of follow-up time for each hour you spend at a networking event. First take all of the business cards you collected and wrap them up with a rubber band or place them in an envelope or small zip lock bag. Write on each card the name and date of the event (THCC Mixer, 8/5/10), any relevant information (table mate, also knows ‘so and so,’ boss’s name is…, etc.) and a grade of RP, A, B or C. ‘RP’ stands for a Referral Partner, someone who targets products like yours but who provides non-competitive offerings. Give an ‘A’ to someone who looks like a good prospect and a ‘B’ to someone who is a suspect (an unqualified prospect). A ‘C’ can be whatever you want it to be. Some cards won’t have any grade but can still be valuable for mapping an organization from the bottom up. Put your annotated business cards next to your computer key board. Then make the time to enter the information from cards of interest into your contact data base or a simple Excel spreadsheet. Friday afternoons or weekends are perfect times for doing this. The fastest way to enter the information is to wait to receive your copy of the Event Excel file about 2 business days following the event. Then simply copy and paste the information from one file into the other. Remember, in order to receive it you must be a Member and have registered for the event. You can research each company of interest by going to: https://librarycatalog.pima.gov/patroninfo~S8?/0/redirect=/validate?url=http%3A%2F%2F0-www.referenceusa.com.librarycatalog.pima.gov%3A80%2F (You will have to make a onetime investment 45 minutes to get your Pima County Library card and PIN so that you can access this free business data base.) 15. Generate Revenue. Now you are ready to contact and cultivate your RP’s, A’s and B’s. In a little while a single “hot” referral or purchase from them will pay for your Membership dues many times over! Sam Williams is a member of the Chamber and is a Board Member. He is president of New View Group, LLC, and can be contacted at swilliams@newviewgroup.net or (520) 390-0586. New View Group provides revenue development consulting to CEOs and sales skills and sales management training to B2B sales teams.
El Informe Newletter - AUG 2010