Effective introductions are a
crucial tool for every business person.
Most business people get to
(must) introduce themselves regularly whether it’s at a networking event, to a
prospect or at a business event. So, having a couple of well-prepared, suitable
introductions is a very good idea.
The key to a good introduction is
to be memorable – but in a good way.
As a franchisee for a referral networking
organization, I’ve heard A LOT of introductions (about 2,500 by my last calculation).
Here are a few of my recommendations:
First, start with your name – every time. People like to know who they’re talking to.
Second, tell me what business you’re in, especially at a business networking event.This one takes a bit of explanation. If your business name doesn’t describe what you do, then please tell me what business you’re in. If you make me guess (by being too cute or clever), I’ll get frustrated and that’s not the memorable first impression you’re going for. If you’re a lawyer, tell me “I’m a lawyer”.
Now's the time to tell me something interesting, specific, funny, memorable and short about you and your business.
This is when you add the memorable part. This part takes practice. Decide what you like best about your business then describe it in 8 seconds (or less). Your desire is to get me, or whoever you’re being introduced to, to ask you that magic question, “How do you do that?” That magic question moves you from a simple introduction to an engaged conversation.
And that's your goal.
Here’s my introduction, “My name is Christel, I build and manage business referral networks. The business people my referral network made $13 million for each other last year.” The response, every time, is “Wow. How do they do that?”
