Last week I was on a panel discussing networking and social media. It was a great panel, and I think I’m going to get some clients out of it.
What was interesting is that I think it was much better for me than for my fellow panelists. Why? Because I was the only one who worked the room in advance.
There was about 15 minutes of open networking before the presentation. One panelist spent that time with his nose buried in his Blackberry. I hope he was following up with a hot prospect. The other two obviously knew each other and spent the time chatting.
I, however, worked the room, making a point of speaking to as many audience members as I could. They were short conversations, but I did what I could to connect with them on a personal level.
All the panelists presented well and gave good information, so we were equal there. But which of us do you think had more after-presentation conversations? You guessed it. Me.
Being a panelist or speaker is very cool. It’s a short time of being a celebrity, and people like to rub shoulders with celebrities. Make it easy for them by being a person before you speak. They will listen more attentively and be more likely to talk to you afterward. And hire you later!
Tags: Networking