How do you create interest and a qualified prospect "working" a network event?

How do you create interest and a qualified prospect "working" a network event?

This personal one to one chance meeting at networking events, industry shows or on purpose can be one of the best opportunities to gain prospects & key recommenders.

The success key is all in how you initiate & manage those conversations. A 30 second commercial? - Yes but done with 3 objectives:

• to qualify re application value, need
• gain a strong interest
• gain an appointment to explore the concept in depth & how it could be beneficial, discover possibilities, value proposition, process for evaluation, adoption & get a sales process going that can indeed lead to a sale.

Its absolutely not a "here's what I do"- product pitch.

Why this approach? - Consider this:

Why sell when you have no idea if the need exists or if the person even cares. You can't possibly sell in that short conversation because you don't know the "buyer's" needs, authority, or direct involvement with the areas that you can fix or solve. In fact, its not an opportunity for a sales pitch at all.

What’s the formula for a 30 second commercial that can work?

• Its purpose is to create a link between what the person you meet faces & must solve & what you have that can help. Its objective is to qualify probable need & value for a solution that gets the issue solved or minimized & then get an appointment to discuss the issues & how you may be able to solve them, that’s all.

• It must get that precise connection made, get interest in what you have that can solve that issue & get the calendars out so you get an appointment to discuss it deeper with the person that you are talking with.

So how do I use the 30 second commercial to work in that way for me at networking events?

Here's an approach that seems to work:

A. Your elevator pitch, aka 30 second commercial used to open and manage the conversation has to

• get a shared mutual connection going in a very casual, non threatening conversational way
• Its not a sales pitch at all in that sense.

Starting with asking "What do you do" is great because its always good to know what the person does before you spend time pitching.

B. Based on knowing that

• pick a known problem or challenges that the prospect, because of what they do, always has to grapple with. 
• Say "You know how people in your position always seem to have to face xx and the issues it creates?" or say "you know how we always face xxxx".

They say yes!

C. You say

• "my company helps deal with those problems"
• throw out a very quick example & say " I've got time on Tues or thurs of next week to discuss how we can do this for you. Which is best for you and I to spend about an hour-Tuesday or Thursday of next week?"

You will get an appointment and then the selling starts - in the first meeting, not the elevator pitch.

I have found that this kind of 30 second commercial approach is useful in connecting in person and one to one conversations & gaining "qualified" prospects who want to talk with you.

It works well at:

* groups

* casual conversation

* reach out phone calls ( it gets calls back because of the message you leave)

* reach out cold calls

* lead follow-up,

* the local chamber of commerce meetings,

* social events

* you can strike up a conversation because it can manage a that conversation into an appointment to discuss your ideas ( ideas sounds a lot better than product or solution) .

Neil Licht, CEO and Chief Adviser, HereWeAre - Managing Change Group
* How to Re Tool messaging and sales approaches to Capture Business in our "everything's a commodity" mentality Market Place

callhereweare@verizon.net http://www.wix.com/ndlicht/hereweare
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