The Networking scene is busy, noisy and filled with distraction.
How do you ensure that your prospects know who you are IN the meeting and that they can FIND you once you ‘Leave” the online meeting?
In the online environment there are opportunities that you may be missing when it comes to ensuring people not only know who you are IN the meeting but making it easy for them to FIND you once you leave the online meeting. “Your name” is the first key foundational element.
3 things that you can do to ensure that you don’t miss opportunities.
- When you announce yourself: ALWAYS include your name. In a business environment this should be your first name and surname. In a social environment you may choose to just use your first name.
- Your Online platform “label”: How often have you wanted to connect with someone and when you look at the name on their screen you realize it’s a futile attempt! I have seen those who just put their first name, a nickname, their company name, or a shortened version. The NAME on your screen is a piece of “real estate” that you need to maximize. I always suggest you use the name on your screen that enables people to find you. Use the name you have on LinkedIn (this is the easiest platform for people to connect with you on). You may choose to include your name, surname AND your company name – just be mindful that often if there are too many characters folks may not be able to see the full name; OR you could use your name, surname and WHAT you do eg: “Sam Harrop – Business Coach”. This enables others to locate you via a google search, LinkedIn and the like.
- When you complete your 30 – 40 second pitch: Say your name again. So your opening AND your closing would be along the lines of “My name is Sarah Bauling and I am professional pitch coach.”
The advantage of being thrown into Zoom rooms and the like over these past few months has given us the opportunity of attending more events, webinars and networking events than ever before.
By being mindful of small changes and tweaks that you can add to the online environment ensures that you are able to reach more prospects, connect with others and ultimately move into “offline” meaningful conversations!