Dippy Do & Networking TOO - COME ON ORIGINALITY....WHERE HAVE YOU GONE?

I had a conversation yesterday with Scott Ingram with Network In Austin (www.networkinaustin.com). We were talking about bad intro lines at networking events. They have become just about as bad, and likely more overused, than bad pick up lines. "Is that card in your hand...are you happy to see me?" kind of lame tired approached to pimping what you do and getting the other person's card. First of all, there are NO PRIZES GIVEN FOR THE PERSON THAT GETS THE MOST CARDS AND TALKS TO THE MOST PEOPLE.

The "here's what I do and so what do you do?" horrible exchanges is way out of control. Why? Because I think not enough people put enough time, energy or effort into coming up with something better. We as Americans define ourselves by what we do, not by who we are and that's a huge mistake! HUGE MISTAKE!

I told Scott that I purposefully try and stay away from bad intro lines, elevator pitches, whatever the hell you want to call them and those people that proned to use them. I believe when you do and you can come up with something new and out the ordinary, you have just succeeded in doing something most people won't do at a particular event: STAND OUT....or at the very least make a very memorable impression!

At Scott's request, let me share one or two that I love to pop people with that start out by,"Hi, my name is Dippy, and I DO or I WORK FOR SPAZ INC." What I find humorous here is how many people actually look at you like holy crap, this dude is really going to be interested in what I have to say and he is just begging for my business card. Keep your card spanky and tell me something that I want to know, like do you have twelve toes, do you sing bad show tunes in the shower or is Doogie Houser your long lost cousin. ANYTHING in most cases is infinately more exciting than, "Well I sell Insurance or I work for a CPA or my I do software" BORING!!!

It it was at all appropriate, I would gang tackle everyone of these people just as I saw them start to bring out their same old tired lines, duct tape their mouths shut, remove all business cards and deposit them in the big round file cabinet and give them a time out.

Okay, I know I am a little extreme and obviously I have way too much caffeine today! In all seriousness, getting to know someone as a person before hand is so much cooler than what has become the norm. I realize when you are at a networking function to cultivate business doing anything else seems crazy but is it really? How many people start with the same old tired lines and do the exact same thing with your business card....straight into their pocket.

I submit that there is a better way. A smarter way! A more fun way! At the very least a way to get you some of the attention that apparently you might crave or the memorable impression you really want to make. So try one of these on for size:

"So, BOB, let me ask you, if you weren't doing what you are doing now, what would you be doing?"

"So Cindy, they say you can tell a lot about a person by the super hero they would most like to be. So who would be your pick?"

"I am so glad you came up to talk me....these other people are whacked!"

I have a billion of these but the point isn't to make you laugh OR to make fun of those people that take networking really seriously. Simply put, take networking seriously and before you put your best foot forward, show the personality that drives it! You will be amazed at what you might find comes out of it. At the very least, you will likely make someone's day!!!

The Plant Effect

So you have just purchased a new potted plant from Home Depot. You bring it back to your office and arrange it nicely to sit on the corner of your desk. There it sits, all green and lush and a definite addition to the landscape of your work area. You enjoy having it there; it brightens the place up a bit.

After a few days, it still looks pretty green but maybe it isn't as green as when you bought it. You pay it no mind and continue to let it be. A few more days pass and now some of the leaves are dropping off. This can't be good. It must need more light you say to yourself so you put it in the window. You come in the next day and the plant looks even worse! Oh duh...you forgot to give it water, that's the ticket. That outta perk it right up! Maybe it will and maybe it won't. The critical stage of adjustment has already been missed and most biologists would say the plant's chances of survival are less than 20%. The autopsy might read: Idiot owner failed to give proper care and feeding to the plant; plant died from lack of carrying.

Perhaps a stupid analogy this early on a Monday morning but one I would like to acquaint to that of an important client or business relationship. Like our friend the plant, if we don't take the proper time to care and feed our relationships, they too will wither away and die.

It amazes me at how many people I know that depend on professional relationships just let them sit there like our friend the plant. They assume they will always be there and when they have time that a little bit of watering (attention) will breathe new life into them. Sorry to say, that simply isn't the case.

When a relationship is fairly new, it is very much green and lush and full of possibilities. In order to maintain that healthy shine, you have to find ways to continue to encourage the relationship to develop and grow. You have to find the collective "care and feeding" that works. I challenge you to evaluate some of your key client relationships and see if their leaves still have that lush green coloring as they did when you first met them. They may be yearning for their water or sunlight and it's your responsibility to give it to them.

Know you need to do some watering or (yikes) possibly weeding around the relationships in your life but just don't know how? Shoot me an email and let's chat about it.

steve@swotvision.com

Ripple On My Friends!!!

Steve

P.S. Be sure to check out our new "forums" section of the book's website. www.therippleeffectbook.com