I often run workshops on 'working the room' and I am always being asked how to make myself more memorable at networking events. In this post, I share 5 ways of helping you be more memorable when working the room.
Help people remember your name at business networking events
When you introduce yourself, say your first name, pause slightly, and then say your first and second name. For example:
"My name is Heather.... Heather Townsend"
The fact that the other person gets to hear your name twice, significantly increases the chances of them remembering your name.
If your name is slightly unusual, or from a foreign culture or background, a way to help people remember your name, is to give them an easy way to say it. For example, many french people struggle to say my name as they don't have the 'th' sound in their language. This lead to a very confused Chauffeur at Gare Du Nord wondering why he had been asked to pick up a 'Heater Townsend'...:
"My name is Heather.... Heather Townsend... it rhymes with .... or sounds like .... or use my nick name ..."
Introduce yourself by the value you bring and the clients you work for
Introducing yourself by your job title is the best way of stopping a conversation before it has really started.
Therefore, don't say:
- "I'm a coach", say "I help senior retail executives achieve their stretching objectives"
- "I'm a leadership trainer" say "I help middle managers build a team which makes them look good"
Download our free joined up networking tool kit for help to write your introduction. (email required)
Add in relationship hooks
The trick to making yourself memorable is to show more of your personality than just your name and rank, and an exchange of pleasantries and small talk. When you are exchanging pleasantries, then aim to drop in some relationship hooks for the other person to catch. For example, when asked:
- 'How was your journey here?', how about answering: "An easy journey and I'm hoping that the M25 behaves itself on the way home"
- 'How has your day been?', how about answering: "Lovely day and working on a great new workshop for a new client" or "great day, but now looking forward to an evening out with my wife"
Have some prepared 'credibility stories'
Credibility stories are where you have several war stories prepared which illustrate the length and breadth of what you do, and who you do it for, and the results you help your clients achieve. Stories are naturally more memorable than a bland list of what you do and who you do it for.
Send them an email after the event to say how much you enjoyed speaking to them
It amazes me how many people fail to follow up after a networking event. Seriously. Just by sending them a short email saying how much you enjoyed meeting them, you will instantly become more memorable.
For a free guide to building your own personal networking strategy, (email required), click here.
How do you help yourself be more memorable when networking?
