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MARKETING 10 Tips For Social Networking ... (Hold On) ... This Is For Meeting People In Person! November 4, 2015  By Rob MarleyVoice Actor In the days before computers reduced social networking to 140 character, color-filtered, SEO-driven positioning statements, the wheels of business were greased by actual personal interaction. How successful you were at acquiring and keeping clients was directly related to how well you could carry on a conversation in a social environment. In the modern electronic age, live networking has become less prominent, but that doesn’t mean it has lost its importance. Knowing how to interact with someone face to face is still a valuable skill to have. With that thought in mind, here are 10 tips for when you find yourself at a business social get-together. 1. Don't pig out There is usually food at these things, but this is not the time to be thinking of it as an all-you-can-eat buffet. In the monthly get-together that I go to, it’s held in the morning, so there is always an assortment of donuts, breakfast tacos and other wonderful things. Try to find the food item that is the least messy. If you go to an evening function, there might be alcohol. This is not the time to tie-one-on and party. Unless you want to be known as "that guy." 2. Keep your hand-shaking hand empty and clean. This means you are going to have to be balancing a plate of food and possibly a drink in your other hand. Not loading up the plate with a ton of food will help maintain balance and prevent a catastrophe should someone accidentally bump into you. 3. Fill your cup half-way. For me personally, I have a cup of coffee to help pick up my energy level, then switch to water as more people start showing up. This way, if you do bump into someone, it's only water and not something that will stain clothes or cause burns. I've found that your chances of securing voice over work from someone you just spilled scalding hot coffee on decreases exponentially. 4. Two words: Breath mints. You’ve just eaten a taco, or donut, or had a cup of coffee. Popping a breath mint when you are in close proximity to someone is a pro move. I met someone at a meeting recently who had breath that almost knocked me over. It’s tough to keep your composure when it feels like your eyebrows are being singed by the person in front of you, but try. Right now, all I can remember about that individual was that their breath stunk. Is that someone you would want to do business with in the future? Of course not. If the meeting is casual enough that you’re wearing jeans, keep a wrapped lifesaver mint in that coin pocket thing. It makes for quick deployment. 5. The 'Three Foot Rule.' This has been a staple of business networking for ages. The rule is simple: If you are within three feet of someone, strike up a conversation.Practice your small talk. Discuss the weather, the meeting, the food, etc. Complimenting someone is usually a good way to break the ice. Avoid politics. 6. Have a ton of business cards ready to hand out. The game is to hand out all your business cards, but the secret goal is to never run out of business cards. Always pack more than you think you’re going to need. Pro Tip: Go the extra step and position your cards in your pocket so that when you reach in to hand someone the card, it’s automatically facing up and forward without you having to fumble and break eye contact with the person. Which leads me to ... 7. Eye contact. It’s funny when you’re wearing one of those "hello, my name is...” stickers on your shirt, because everyone immediately looks at that first, but once you’ve done that, try to memorize the person’s name so that you don't have to keep referring to the label. Keep eye contact with the individual. This will help to establish trust. 8. A good firm handshake without being too firm is also a plus. Have your elevator speech prepared - an elevator speech is a short answer that you can fire off to someone when they ask you what you do. You don't want to have it sound like you’re reading a script (good thing we’re all well versed in the conversational style of speech, right?) Make it casual, concise and interesting. The monthly group meeting I attend has a point where everyone has 20 seconds to say who they are and what they do. Be prepared for this. There is nothing worse for a voice over artist - a person who gets paid to speak for a living - to ham-fistedly stumble their way through a description of who they are. You might as well be holding a giant neon sign that says,"Hi! I’m a total amateur that doesn't know what he’s doing!” 9. Be a good listener. Just because you have someone to talk to doesn’t mean you get to monopolize the conversation. Find out about THEM. What do they do? As they're describing their business, begin thinking about how you could possibly help them with your business. Find out as many details about them as you can, and then make notes afterwards. Which leads me to ... 10. The follow up. If you meet someone interesting, take notes. Carry a pen and write down information about who they are and where you met on the back of their business card. Then when you get back to your computer, send them a friendly email along the lines of "It was great meeting you today at (whatever).” Get a business card file and use it. Every few weeks, flip through the file and look at some of the cards. Is there someone that you could benefit from talking to again? Good thing you have some notes on when you met, right? GET INVOLVED! What all of this comes down to is that you should get involved with a local business group. Contact your local Chamber of Commerce or go to meetup.com to find them. This is a great way to meet other business owners in your area and establish a presence in the community as "the guy who does voice overs.” You never know when someone may want to do a radio commercial or need a voice over for a walk-through video of a house. And if they’ve met you in person, they are more likely to use you over some stranger they find at a website. Step away from behind the computer for a few hours; get out there and be social! ------------------- ABOUT ROB A Los Angeles native, Rob Marley is an accomplished voice talent, producer and writer, now living in the hill country of Austin TX. Email: Rob@MarleyAudio.com Web: www.MarleyAudio.com |
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I'll echo your comment about joining Meetup groups and local Chambers of Commerce as you never know who will be in need of your service. In my experience, I'm generally the only voice actor there and people are genuinely intrigued with what voiceovers are and how the industry works.
And like you say, ask questions of the other people in attendance. I've learned about businesses and products that I didn't even know existed! It's also a super way to learn how others work on the "business" side of things in their industry. It can be a great platform for discussion and discovery for sure!