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Many years ago, while working for an insurance company as their Finance Director, I worked with a Country Manager who was rarely in the office at lunch time. Not only that, but his lunch was also always an hour compared to the company policy of 30 minutes.
As Finance Director, I knew the numbers better than anyone else and saw the revenue figures rising. It appeared that the more the Country Manager was out of the office for lunch, the higher the numbers! The proportional correlation confounded me until I learned the technique.
At one of our weekly management meetings, the main agenda item related to the company’s failure to meet the monthly sales targets for health & accident insurance. This particular insurance product is a numbers game since the premiums are low and volumes need to be high. Moreover, since this product was not re-insured, it was pure revenue for the company.
We were asked to look at our networks to find leads. While I was never involved in the marketing side, I thought of one of the ladies in my Ladies Who Lunch network (yes, ladies too network!). Her husband was the head of a major multinational where there was a chance.
With the Country Manager’s approval, I arranged a lunch meeting and quietly observed the conversation between boss and friend’s husband. Pleasantries were exchanged from the time we ordered soup till the main course was served.
By the time dessert was ordered, there were talks of my company making a proposal for business.
The happy ending of this story is that we got a major client, sales for the product made up for 2 months targets and I was encouraged to go out and have lunch at company expense with people other than the auditors!
From a networking point of view, for the contact to be effective, it is important to learn more about the person that we are interacting with.
Simply attending networking events and handing out cards left, right and center is not of much use. You need to make a connection which provides a platform for a follow up call or meeting.
The ability to make a personal connection with a client or colleague is an important way to ensure customer and employee retention, as well as increased sales opportunities.
Networking with colleagues especially those in different departments of your organization can provide crucial contacts if the success of your project requires intra-company interaction. One doesn’t even have to step out to fancy restaurant – just meet up at the company canteen and have lunch together while discussing your project.
6 Tips to Network over lunch like a True Professional
However, meeting up with a colleague for lunch or taking someone out to lunch will not be effective unless you have a plan for the final outcome. Even then, some finesse is required.
Based on what I learned from my boss, the 6 tips I offer are
- Be an attentive listener and learn more about the other person.
- Try to identify common interests and converse on the same to build rapport with the other person.
- Don’t hijack the conversation. Show interest in the person & ask questions to learn more.
- Be sincere and avoid invading their privacy.
- Once rapport is established then proceed to discuss business or projects
- Make sure there is a win-win situation. If the benefits are more in your favor, consider net-weaving to offer something back. Your credibility goes up and you have a contact for life.
Do you have any tips to enhance the power of your network outside the office?
Please do share in the comments box below!
PS. One of the readers had referred to an awesome book by Keith Ferrazzi Never Eat Alone. This is a must read book which has been updated to take networking in the digital era into account. Have a look at this global bestseller by clicking on the image.
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Written by: Vatsala Shukla
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Most people don’t understand networking so your article is a great opportunity to educate. I believe the principles of social relationship marketing is based on networking, done the way you & others have described. In my case, I always wear a necklace that is likely to catch ones eye. Then I wait for the usual question where I get to tell my transformation story.
I love the idea of your wearing a necklace that catches the other person’s eyes and gets the conversation started. I’ve used the technique of admiring another person’s apparel or jewelry myself as an ice breaker to learn more about the other person at networking events and cocktail parties and made new friends and connections. Bravo, Roslyn, this 1 step also gives you a chance to introduce your jewelry range!
Networking in general is for me, an opportunity to get to know about the other person and who they are. I am blessed to have a very good memory and have always been able to pull information I learned about them and their life up at future times when needed. The key is in the listening and in asking two-part questions. Networking is always about the art of powerful conversation and being observant to what does and doesn’t matter to them. Thanks for the wonderful post, Vatsala!
I love the way you’ve summarized good and effective networking Beverley. Practicing similar principles for online networking and shifting it to a real offline dialogue strengthens everyone’s network base.
Attentive listening is the key to any good relationship I think. Building a rapport with someone is vital if you want them to show an interest in what you are doing. Great advice Vatsala.
Spot on Tamuria. Networking means listening, actively and finding a common ground to keep in touch. Our chance to show what we can offer emerges from the data that we learn about the other person.
Totally agree, when i was first learning about going to networking events, I was told to always ask about their business and what they do. If you end up having a one on one (lunch, coffee) find out how you can help them.
Being of service is one of the tips that many LinkedIn Gurus recommend Lisa because it helps us to get to know the other person better and by making connections within our network, we raise the perceived value of our network and self and make it easier to do business at a later and more opportune date. Having lunch or even a cup of coffee with the other person gives the meeting a more relaxed ambiance and both parties are comfortable talking ‘shop’ or even sharing information. The guidance you were given when you first started attending networking events is true.
So glad you mentioned that networking is not about handing out business cards left & right. It’s about building relationships.
When you are genuinely interested in others, they’ll find you interesting.
🙂
D
Absolutely true, Debra! The number of times people whom I meet at networking events and cocktail parties take the first step of exchanging their business cards with me is directly proportional to the conversations that we have surrounding them and their immediate concerns. The best part? They keep in touch!
This is such a good idea and, for those of us who tire of the noise and distractions of networking events, sharing a meal means you get the undivided attention of your companion while engaging in longer, more interesting conversation. You build rapport, a key step on the way to a relationship which, especially for service providers, is necessary to create the sale. And, if you’re lucky, you’ll enjoy a good meal, too!
Absolutely, Andrea! Sharing a meal gives us a chance to get to know the other person better and as you mentioned build a more meaningful rapport. One never knows, the conversation may start at 1 point and open up possibilities for other joint ventures, all for the price of a meal! 🙂
This is a great example Vatsala of how to make networking work. My challenge is that I am very much an introvert 🙂 I am working on being more proactive in scheduling face time with my local connections.
Glad you liked the tips, Tai. Some of the best business persons and professionals that I know are actually introverts! The best way is to go out and start meeting the local connections and give them a gift that no extrovert can – the gift of listening and then take it from there!
Great post, Vatsala. I love that you’ve pointed out how to have purposeful networking engagement. It’s so important to have a focused outcome when your time is filled with to-do’s. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Tanya. Being focused on an outcome to the networking engagement ensures that one values one’s own time as well as that of the other person. Another way to have a win-win situation by getting to the point quickly after pleasantries rather than beating about the bush and hoping the other person understands!
OOH, I loved this article! It is so true, listening and really getting to know the other person is one of the most beneficial things you can do whether that person is a potential client, partner, or friend. Thank you for sharing this.
Welcome back to the blog, Jessica. Active listening is supposed to be a skill but I feel it is a dying art form. 🙂 As you pointed out, listening and really getting to know the other person is one of the most beneficial things we can do for others.
Listen more and talk less is excellent focus. I believe there is a book called “Never Eat Alone” that discusses the technique you share here. Thanks for giving me a few things to think about today.
At your service, always, Stephanie! You are absolutely right; there is a book by that name.
In the book Never Eat Alone, Chapter 11 whose title is also the name of the book suggests that a meal is a spectacular time to connect with someone. It is also a tip that a former boss gave me to help me integrate with my new department and it worked.
The dynamics work well, whether the lunch partners are colleagues or prospective clients.
In case the reader is interested, here are the details of the book that Stephanie LH Calahan referred to.
Never Eat Alone By Keith Ferrazzi with Tahl Raz. Publisher : Random House ISBN 0-385-51205-8