My blog post on Networking for Introverts really hit a hot spot with readers! It seems I’m not the only one who feels like a fidgety and awkward 9 year 
old when entering a room (or a zoom) full of people I don’t know. I wanted to pass along this feedback email I received from a spectacular entrepreneur I had the honor of working with. She’s got the whole networking thing down to a science that works well for her, which should encourage all of us to find the recipe that works for each of us.
Without further a do, I am sharing Evelyn Cucchiara’s networking genius:
While I personally LOVE networking events (because it gives me a chance to speak about my passion), I’ve found a few things to make them fun and
worth my time -
- I always wear red to stand out in a crowd. Look around the next time you’re at an event – even a ZOOM one – everyone is wearing dark somber colors – almost like they don’t want to stand out. I say – if you don’t want to stand out – maybe you shouldn’t be an entrepreneur! Harsh I know, but true. If you’re not passionate about representing your business, no one else will care about your business.
- I have a custom–made name tag with only my first name and the name of my company on it. This makes it super easy to read – and it causes people to come up to me and say ”What’s The Toy Tamer?” Boom – no need to approach people on my own – instead they come to me. Make it super simple for people to interact – and they will.
- I stand up and say–“I’m Evelyn Cucchiara, better known as …..” and then I wait for someone to shout “The Toy Tamer” back to me. When I first started doing this there were crickets – but now no matter where I go – even if I’ve never been there before – someone in the room knows me and knows the expected answer. So – picture how much of an impression this makes when I’m a guest at a networking event and I stand up for my intro and people say my company name back to me. That way I stand out from the crowd in a good way. Everyone wants to know the person that everyone knows.
- I read people’s name tags and strike up a conversation with someone who is in a similar industry or has a similar perfect customer. I know others in the room may know of someone who needs my services; but ultimately, I have discovered that focusing on people who I already have something in common with is the most effective path to referral business.
- If you truly don’t enjoy networking events, you may want to choose to direct your efforts to creating a whiz bang video for social media. That will get you more leads and contacts anyway. If you don’t feel networking is fun – either figure out how to make it fun or come up with a different way to get your name and your company out there.
Evelyn Cucchiara is The Toy Tamer. She does custom playroom organizing – a micro-niche business where she offers help to parents who are tired of drowning in toys! Not only does she get the mess cleaned up and organized, she adds a system so the kids take over the clean up chore and absolutely LOVE doing it, all while teaching themselves vital life skills for a successful future. Find out more at www.TheToyTamer.com or check out The Toy tamer on any social media.