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Building business bridges

by Vivien Eakin

Tom has been transferred to a job in Hong Kong. It’s the first overseas posting for him and his wife, Mary. He needs to establish business contacts, which can leave her feeling isolated and alone. They know that the world isn’t going to come knocking at their door.

He also understands that people like to do business with people they have a rapport with and can trust. After establishing the types of people he wants to attract as clients, the discussion turns to where he might find such people. What will they be doing? How can he create opportunities to meet them? Being on the same wavelength is important, so he plans to join his country’s Chamber of Commerce. Because he wants to contribute to society he’ll also join the local Lions or Rotary Club. Mary plans to start a business, so she has chosen the Women Business Owners’ Club. Because she loves gardening, she’ll join a gardening club. They have agreed on how much time they’ll spend each month participating in these activities.

The next step is for both to acquire business cards. Networking is about making contacts, and exchanging cards is part of the Hong Kong culture. But first they need to consider how to make the best of every opportunity:

• Decide ahead of time that you’re going to enjoy the event. Imagine the sort of person you’d like to meet. Think of it as a chance to get to know people you might not otherwise meet.
• First impressions count. It takes 30 seconds for someone to decide if they like you. Be as approachable as you can – dress so you’re at ease with how you look and don’t hide in the corner or in the loo. Smile. A smile is worth a thousand words.
• Approach people and introduce yourself. Go out of your way to speak to anyone who’s on their own and looking uncomfortable. They’ll appreciate it and remember you. Be sure to exchange cards. You may want to carry blank cards in case other people don’t have one.
• Ask questions. Everyone loves to talk. Easy questions are good for starters – for example, How was your day today? How did you come to join this association? Look for shared interests and opportunities. As a rule of thumb never talk more than 50 per cent of the time. And look for any opportunities to learn something new.
• Be genuinely interested in what the other person has to say and express that interest. Look at them. Don’t spend your time looking around the room to see who you’d like to be talking to instead.
• Really listen. Remember someone who showed a genuine interest in you, no matter what you said? It felt great, didn’t it? So think more about what they’re saying instead of what they might be thinking of you.
• When the time comes to move on, say something like, “Well, maybe we should both talk to some other people now. I’ve really enjoyed meeting you today”. Comment on something you remember about what’s been discussed – for example, “I hope your meeting next week goes really well” – and create a bridge for a future contact if appropriate.

After the event, take a few minutes to reflect on who you’ve met. Go through the cards you’ve collected, and decide which ones to keep.

For future reference, you might want to write a brief note on each one – the date, event and something about the person you want to remember for future reference.

Decide if you met anyone you’d like to follow up with, and, if so, how best to go about it – maybe by e-mail or a phone call, or perhaps you’d like to arrange to see them again. Take the appropriate action sooner rather than later.

Tom and Mary say that these techniques have helped them. Mary has started to look forward to her meetings and finds that, when she relaxes and takes a genuine interest in whoever she speaks to, it’s more fun.

Vivien Eakin is a member of the Hong Kong International Coaching Community (info@coachinghk.org)