Use storytelling to make yourself memorable while networking.

One of the reasons people shy against networking events is because, quite frankly, they’re often painful.  As referral marketing and networking expert Dr. Ivan Misner says “It seems everyone goes to a networking event looking to sell, but no one goes looking to buy.”

We really should be going to these events to meet interesting people who might make good connections and strategic alliances, but it’s tough to get a quick understanding as to who we should spend our time with.  It’s not about knowing a slew of financial planners or marketing consultants, it’s about knowing the right ones.

So how do you make sure you meet the right people at these events?  It all starts with making a memorable introduction—an introduction that encourages others to remember you.  To make yourself unforgettable, try storytelling to introduce yourself.  Using a brief client success story when introducing yourself makes you and what you do much more relevant to your audience.

Client success stories are incredibly useful for introducing yourself because they also provide several other benefits that can be difficult to convey quickly and concisely:

• Storytelling creates an opportunity for you to communicate who makes a good client or customer for you.
• Secondly, it creates a very natural opportunity to differentiate yourself from others who may work in your industry because you’re providing an example of the kind of specific problem you’ve successfully solved.
• Stories are much easier for others to remember, and, even more important, repeat.  When someone else is able to repeat your story, you stand a much better chance of being introduced or referred to people who fit your ideal client description and have the kinds of problems you’ve successfully solved.
• And for those who have a non-traditional type of business, it also makes it easier for the rest of us to understand what you do.

To effectively use storytelling when introducing yourself, be sure you follow the steps below:

• Keep it short and simple so others can repeat it
• Provide some level of description of the client
• Communicate some details about the problem
• If possible, reveal the solution and the outcome or results

I tried this recently at a workshop I lead and the participants were pleased with the responses they were getting.  Try it out and let me know how it works for you.

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We all go to networking events so we’re all thinking about clever ways to introduce ourselves and our companies to make us memorable.  I had this discussion with some participants in a workshop recently, and the challenge for both was in conveying what they do. 

A Memorable Talking Logo

At networking events, we want our introduction or talking logo to be intriguing so people continue to engage and want to know more.  For consultants, the challenge is knowing what to say that isn’t full of buzz words and long-winded explanations.  So what should you be thinking about when you create your self-introduction?

1.  Think about the problem that you solve?  What simple, yet interesting, words can you use to convey the kind of problem of you solve?  And tell them in a way that matters to them.

2.  What can you say to get them to want more information?  “I teach contractors how to get paid faster.”  The response you’re looking for is “Hmm, how do you do that?”  The idea here is to get them to engage with you and ask more questions.  If you simply say “I sell insurance”, they’ll respond, “That’s nice” and move on.  Think about some of the results that your clients can expect when they work with you.

3.  What you can say that will be memorable?  We all meet lots of people every week and we quickly forget who was who.  Are there any memorable words that you can use?

4.  Whatever you come up with, it needs to be repeatable.  The idea is here that others should be able to easily repeat your introduction and use it to introduce you and refer you to others.  And this is probably one of the most important ideas to think about when creating your talking logo.

5.  Once you’ve provided a memorable introduction, you’ll need a simple follow-up answer that tells people the unique way that you solve that problem. 

Frequently, we all fumble a little when we introduce ourselves to new people.  Take a few minutes and try to incorporate these ideas into the way you introduce yourself.   You’re sure to make yourself more memorable and it’s certain to improve the way in which others refer to you as well. 

Have you heard a great introduction?  Share it here and give others some ideas.

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