Have you found yourself stuck for questions to ask when networking?
Questions better than ‘Have you been busy lately?’.
Or that awkward moment when you’ve already covered the weather and you find yourself struggling to navigate your way through the rest of the conversation. Yeah, that.
Don’t worry you’re not alone. It’s happened to us all at some point.
Fear not! I’ve compiled a snappy list of questions to keep to hand to keep things moving. Not only will these help keep the conversation flowing, they will allow you to find out about the people you’re speaking to. Identify ways in which you can add value. Or even work together…
- What are you looking to achieve from your networking?
- Can you give me examples of the types of clients you work with?
- What’s a recent project you’ve been working on?
- What is the size and makeup of your organisation?
- What problem does your product/service solve?
- Geographically-speaking, where do you / can you work?
- What’s been a win for you or a customer recently?
- How could I help you and your business?
- Who is the decision maker you are looking to speak to?
- If I could introduce you to one type of business or particular person, who would it be?
- What’s the profile of an ideal client for you?
- Who do you generate referrals from?
- Who do you refer business well to?
- From the delegate list, is there anyone in particular you want to be introduced to today?
- What types of businesses or industries do you like to collaborate with?
- What would be your dream project?
- Who are your competitors?
- What makes you different from your competitors?
- What’s the biggest challenge your business is currently facing?
- What’s a current topic or piece of news in your industry?
- What are your company’s goals for the next 12 months?
- What do you like to do outside of work?
- What or who inspires or motivates you?
- What areas of your role or business do you enjoy the most?
- Is there a skill or area you’re looking to learn more about or develop currently?
- How did you get into your line of work?
- WHY do you do what you do? Note: You are not point-blank asking them when their printer lease is up for renewal. Or if their mum has a pension she wants to review by the end of the month.
Going to an event with loaded questions to tee-up a sales pitch is glaringly obvious. Trust me.
You want to KNOW more about the other person, not SELL to them. Show genuine interest and curiosity. This will build trust and rapport. You’ll probably learn a thing or two as well.
Put these into practice at one of our upcoming events.
