Networking: Shake & Stir

By Sandy Ross

Networking is a professional’s competitive edge, and can even be a hiring point. With meet and greet forums booming, a level of comfort and skill at networking would be welcome. In seminars, I share a tip I call “Shake & Stir” (shake hands, stir interest), with strategies for the handshake, the name and intromercial, and sparking conversation.

Our handshake makes a first impression and we can be ruthless judging a bad one. Keep your hand straight; don’t break at the finger base. Meet the other person’s hand web-to-web (the V at thumb and first finger). No half-finger fumbles, please. Too often, we rush our names in introductions. Enunciate, especially last names, since that’s how folks find you. After hello usually comes, “And what do you do?” An intromercial is a brief blurb to explain your expertise in a memorable way, in just a sentence or two. It’s a great spot to spout a slogan, and you can use it when folks go around the room for introductions.

Once the niceties are exchanged, how do you spark conversation? Open-ended questions on how, what, why, who keep conversation flowing (they can’t be answered yes or no). They also gather information that builds relationships. After all, networking is about long term relationships, not short term, group prospecting. In fact, leave your sales pitch at the office. Networking is for relaxed rapport, for meeting, greeting and sometimes, eating!

Sandy Ross is the founder of The Homepreneur Network and Word’s Worth. Since 1993, she has helped over 375 homepreneurs A.I.M. for Affiliation, Information & Motivation. Ph: (519) 472-5322 E-mail: sandy@sandyross.ca Web site: www.sandyross.ca Published in Networking Today, April 1999.