You’re at a chamber lunch event and there are many others in the room offering services similar to yours. What can you do to be memorable besides streaking through the room? (Not probably such a good idea!) Here are three ideas.
- Have a name tag that is different than the norm and also has the letters of your first name in a very large font. Both make it so that people want to ask about the uniqueness of your name tag and with your name very visible, Scott Ginsberg, the name tag guy, would say, “It makes you approachable.” Some of you have seen my illuminated name tag and I can tell you that people come across the room to ask about it. CN Grad, Linda Frycz, offers those for a very reasonable fee. Go to her website at www.uniqueledproducts.com to order.
- If there is an opportunity to give a door prize, give something that no one else can. I give home-canned fruits and vegetables for some events and I can tell you that people come up to me and ask about how they can win. H-m-m-m, just a thought, maybe I’ll start giving those as the door prize at our mini classes! Don’t be hemmed in by what your business offers or does; just think out of the box a bit. And while we talk about door prizes, package them beautifully. Even a gift card can go into an attractive bag that costs pennies at the Dollar Store. CN Grad, Debra Gorman, always said that while the chocolates she sold at her store were the tastiest, the way she packaged them made them that much more yummy.
- When introducing yourself to those at your lunch table, customize your intro based on those seated with you. Instead of the old tried and true, “I am a full-service blah-blah-blah, say, “I specialize in helping financial planners to receive more referrals.” (Obviously, you will craft this for your endeavors!) Catching the attention of one person is better than just being another boring business person.
So many go to networking lunch or breakfast events and leave again without making an imprint on others. Put some thought into how you might creatively draw people to you – without selling!