As travel and meeting planner networking conferences, forums, summits and events resume, now is a terrific time for hotel sales representatives to revisit some best habits for in-person networking. As a sales trainer, when I attend these types of events, I find myself observing and silently critiquing salespeople’s networking skills, which too often are sorely lacking.
Perhaps it’s because most salespeople these days have not had any formal training in this area. I, on the other hand, was well-trained on this subject long ago by the legendary hotel sales trainer, Howard Feiertag, who at age 92 still teaches these skills to his lucky students at the Howard Feiertag Department Of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Virginia Tech.
Here are some sales habits from our KTN hotel sales training workshops, most of which I, like so many others, learned from Howard.
Read the attendee list in advance. First off, this will help you identify and seek out the top prospects for your hotel. It also helps jog your memory so that when you see familiar faces in the crowd you will be able to greet them by name without having to stare down at their name tag.
Once identified, reach out to them in advance on LinkedIn. When sending the connection request, include a personalized message referencing that you hope to meet them at the event. Then copy and paste their headshot onto a “cheat sheet” and review the list right before you attend the event.
Similarly, most industry conferences these days offer an attendee app. Download it early and upload all of your information, especially a recent headshot and your email address. Again, reach out to the top prospects you want to seek out with a connection request and an in-app message stating that you would like to meet in person.
When attending receptions, eat before you arrive! Why waste valuable time consuming food? Also, it can be awkward tying to chew and talk at the same time. Plus, many cocktail hour foods can be messy and you don't want sticky fingers when you shake hands.
Arrive early and stay late so you can have the most time possible for networking at the event.
When the event begins, position yourself by the entrance. Understand that many people feel awkward when walking into an event, especially if they are alone or if they don’t immediately see someone they recognize. Be the first to greet everyone with a smile, eye contact and a warm welcome. This shows confidence and will position yourself as an especially significant attendee. If you’ve completed the steps listed above, you may recognize some key contacts from their headshots and they also might recognize you, so you can grab them for a conversation before they get swept up talking to people they already know.
Later, position yourself near the end of the line for the food or bar. A great time to grab the hot prospects you’ve identified is while they are stuck waiting in a long line. Since you’ve already eaten, once they get up to the food [or bar] you can head back toward the end of the line and seek out another prospect to “bump in to.”
Don’t drink too much! Remember that you are not only representing the brand you work for, but also your personal brand. Be especially careful to avoid drinking on an empty stomach because the alcohol may hit you more than you realize. Go for the club soda and lime!
After the event gets going, most people break off into pairs or small groups. Don’t feel left out! When you see someone, just walk up close enough so they can see you waiting, about two or three feet away, then politely smile when they look at you. Most people will recognize this as a nonverbal cue and invite you to join the conversation circle when there’s a pause in the action.
If you see someone that you want to meet standing alone, just walk up and introduce yourself with confidence.
Do more question-asking than talking. Interesting conversation partners are those who ask questions and listen attentively. Avoid hijacking the topic and making it all about you. There’s a difference between interjecting personal stories in order to be relatable and being domineering. If you are standing in a conversation circle, help the quiet ones feel included by asking them questions too.
After you made a solid connection, move on! So many times I have seen conference attendees find themselves stuck with what I call a cling-on. Some people feel like they have to make an excuse such as “Okay, I’m going to get another drink…” but this can backfire if the cling-on says “me too!” A better approach is to just say something like “Well Chris, it was terrific meeting you today!” and then turn away and move on. No excuses are needed because after all, the purpose of these events is networking.
Use both traditional and digital business cards. Although the trend these days is definitely moving toward digital business cards, there are many people of all age groups who still enjoy the look and feel of a traditional business card. Why not offer both options? If those you meet don’t have a business card, ask permission to take a quick photo of their badge information.
Vendors and suppliers are prospects too! Those who are attending conferences to sell just like you are can also be valuable networking contacts, as they can make introductions to prospects you are targeting.
Make notes about key conversations. I always pack along a small notepad and pen to jot down key points after conversations with prospects, or if the person offers a traditional business card you can write on the back of it. Of course, I also use the digital notes feature of my smartphone, but I find that I can scribble notes faster with a pen and then get back to meeting more prospects.
Send personalized follow-up messages to everyone you meet. Yes, this takes a lot more time, but it will definitely help you stand out. Most people these days don’t send any follow-ups at all, and when they do, it is a generic message such as “It was so nice meeting you. Keep us in mind if you ever need XYZ” Instead, reference something specific you conversed about or a personal remark they shared with you, which is easier to do if you take notes after key conversations. If the person truly is a prospect, say you will be back in touch with them, as opposed to that they should reach out to you. Then put them in your lead stream for regular follow-ups. If it is a hot prospect of course, reach out promptly after the event.
The best way to stand out with personalized follow-ups after networking conferences and events is to send a personalized video email message. There are several apps now available for doing this, including free ones, and they will insert the video right into the body of the recipient’s email. Hold a white board or paper with their name on it so that they recognize it as being a personal video email, not a generic one, and will be more likely to press that play button.
Doug Kennedy is president of the Kennedy Training Network, Inc. Contact him at doug@kennedytrainingnetwork.com.
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