Yesterday I blogged about my experiences at a business start up exhibition http://ow.ly/4Z3kS
A fantastic show with lots and lots of networking opportunities. One of the highlights was the speed networking session where I made contact with over 40 people in less than Two hours. What a result!
If you have ever been Speed Networking you’ll know you need to condense your message into a short concise format and get it into about 40 seconds, which allows time for the other speed networker to ask question.
Think about it a bit like coffee! If you want that hit of caffeine in the morning an espresso is what you need. When you think about it your espresso is your brand. Or a condensed passionate which drives an experience your customers can feel, “That’s fantastic” I thought. Then my usually unreliable memory kicks in. I’ve heard that before and after a little shuffling of the grey cells I remembered it.
Angie Eagan a colleague of mine at the Professional Speakers Association has written a book called ‘Espresso yourself’ subtitles ‘The Taste of Your Brand’ where she explores this theme, ho hum back to the drawing board for me!
But that theme of the taste of your brand kept nagging a way as I thought back to the exhibition. Branding, what is it? Well this is a subject that can run and run. But for the purposes of this blog lets look at the first time you meet a prospect what usually happens?
I don’t know about you but I usually offer my business card. In the blog I referred to at the start of this piece, I spent time discussing some business cards that I believe missed the mark. This morning when I returned from a networking breakfast I decided to take a random selection form my card box(over 2,000 cards) and see how they stack up.
After picking at random 150 cards here is what I found:
2 Had no first name on their card: Why? What is to hide about your first name?
21 Had No physical address: This gives a less than professional impression. You can get a PO Box number for less than the cost of a glass of wine a week, and they deliver the mail to you door. No more driving to a sorting office to collect your mail.
32 Crammed too much information on the card: The net result is the reader has to have super vision if they want to get any information off the card. The idea is to give people information not get them to reach for a magnifying glass!
35 Printed one side only: A business card is a valuable piece of real estate, so use it well. A graphic designer friend of mine told me that for a business card to do it’s job the front should say who you are, and the back should say what you do. Simple stuff name contact details on the front and your area of business on the back.
Worst of all is turning up at an event with no business card.
Remember you only get one chance to make a first impression – so make it a professional one. To read my previous piece, please follow the link http://ow.ly/4Z3kS
About the Author
Paul M Johnstone is a Professional networker, he build two businesses by using the power of the network and with almost no other marketing. He has worked for 3 of the largest networking organisations in the UK and is a network mentor. He can be reached at +44 (0)7711 324362or through his website at http://www.paradigmshakers.co.uk/Please comment on this or any of my earlier Blogs. All feedback is great feedback
Helping Real People do Real Business Through Real Networking
©Paul Johnstone
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