Have you ever went to a seminar/function and found the person who you thought could be the most beneficial to your business but they were enclosed by people the whole time? Sometimes when you attempt to get into the conversation with a lot of people you feel unwelcome. How can you get one on one time with someone who is always engulfed by their followers? When functions aren’t structured and open networking is encouraged you may find yourself in this kind of situation. Here’s how you can break through their circle of people an introduce yourself to anyone you want to meet.
If you pay close attention to the people around the person you are trying to meet you can tell how strong their association is to them. Some people are acquaintances and some will know them well. The one’s who know your prospect better will be more open to helping you meet him/her. Since they have a comfortable relationship with them, they will not feel threatened to help you get to know them.
Once one of the people who knows your prospect leaves the group, you should try to speak with them. If they are grabbing some food get next to them and start up a conversation. Most likely they will be very nice and welcoming. Make easy conversation and don’t just jump right into asking them about the person you want to meet. If things are going well in the conversation then you can say something like, “I saw you talking to Mr. Smith, do you think you could introduce me to him? I am very interested in what he does because I might be able to send some business his way.” It is key that you say you don’t want to meet this person to get something out of him, you want to help him. Be sincere or else the person you are talking to will know you are lying.
So you just told your new acquaintance that you would like to meet Mr. Smith and ultimately give him business. Do not say that you want his help. Not until you develop a relationship with him will you be able to get business from Mr. Smith. To start this new business relationship, you need to get introduced to him. Mr. Smith’s friend will most likely introduce you to him because Mr. Smith could benefit from you. Everybody wins in this circumstance. An important part of networking is giving before you take.
