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As an extrovert you are a true ‘People Person’, outgoing, talkative and full of energy. You are someone who enjoys meeting new people and are the life of any social gathering and that combined with being an entrepreneur opens up numerous opportunities in the business networking scene for you. However the business networking scene varies in many ways from social events. The social skills that work in events like parties, wedding functions, family get-togethers etc may not be as helpful in a business event. So let us take a look at some guidelines on how to modify your naturally friendly nature to fit right into a business networking event.
- Make it More About the Other Person – Social events are more about casual and fun conversations with friends and family members, in fact they revolve around extroverts like you for you are the life of any party or other social events. Generally when you enter the social event venue, you are at once surrounded by a whole host of people who hang on your every word. Your charming conversation, funny anecdotes and witty one liners usually dominate this group’s conversation, for this is what everyone in the group wants and truly enjoys.
However the purpose of business events like conventions, business meetups, expositions etc is very different. It is meant to encourage the business community to get to know each other and forge mutually beneficial business relationships. To enable this take a couple of steps back and encourage other people to take centre stage. When having conversations with people, listen attentively to their business growth stories, successes and concerns. This genuine interest helps you create personal connections with them and paves the way for mutually beneficial business relationships.
- Too Much Too Soon – The important point to keep in mind is unlike social events there are going to be very few people you are familiar with in a business event (especially for the first few events). So even though your natural inclination would be to approach everyone and get to know them, it is advisable to go slow. Not everyone who attends business events will view your natural exuberance in a favourable light in fact they may mistake it as an attempt at self promotion.
So it is better to start small and have conversations with a select few people during each business event during the initial few months. Once you get to know more people and become a familiar face at such events then you can automatically increase your networking circle.
- Creating Opportunities – An extension to listening with genuine attention to people’s concerns is that if you realise that you are in a position to help out regarding any such concern then don’t hesitate, go ahead and offer to help. For business networking is about helping your fellow entrepreneurs grow in their respective fields. In addition to the sense of satisfaction you get by helping others, you also get to make people realise that you are genuinely committed to helping the business community grow. This increases their respect for you and makes them more inclined to associate with you.
So go ahead and be your natural friendly self while keeping these general guidelines in mind.
