Some of you have heard me say the words in this title. I have also been known to say that hope is not a strategy. So recently I found myself at two different events within a 3 day period, knowing very, very few people.
So upon discovering the fact that A. I knew few people and B. hoping people would talk to me was not a winning strategy, I had to quickly formulate a plan for the evening.
I asked myself, “what would I advise a client to do”? I
Event #1. I wanted to sit in one place and wait for people to come to me. I couldn’t come up with a reason anyone I didn’t know would come up to me. I devised a plan to go up to high-top tables of people unfamiliar to me, and ask “can I talk with you?” That was my plan. After doing it about six times, I figured that was enough and/or I will be asked to leave as a stalker of sorts.
Event #2. I scoped out the venue. There were almost 300 guests and only a few high top tables located outside on a beautiful NE Ohio evening. Very early I planted myself at one of the tables in what I considered was prime real estate, and I stayed there. For hours. Through-out the four hours, people came up to my table to ask to sit or put down their drink. The host thought it was the most popular table. It was really the real estate.
At both events I knew few people. I created a different strategy based on the event and the different landscape. At one event most everyone was at high top tables. At the other, there were only a few tables.
Any strategy is better than no strategy. #networking #coaching
