Introductions are the best way to educate people about how you help your customers and the type of people you work with. Each week you have the opportunity to introduce yourself and follow your introduction with a tidbit that you can share with other members of your team.
Take time to practice your introduction and don’t assume everyone at the meeting knows all of the products or services you offer.
Who Do You Know?
Are you being specific about who you want to meet when you do your introductions each week?
Once a month, our meeting introductions are focused on the question “Who do you know?” While having this exercise on the agenda monthly might seem redundant or overkill, over the years we’ve seen how important it is to continually remind people about who you want to meet. Sometimes fellow members forget because they haven’t had enough coffee in the morning, or sometimes because they are wrapped up in their own business.
In addition to reminding people who you want to meet, it is important to be specific about who those people are. When making your introduction, avoid using words like someone, everyone or anyone. It is amazing how often members who have been part of our organization for years still aren’t specific about who they want to meet. Many times we hear a realtor say “I’m looking for anyone who is looking to buy or sell a house” or an insurance agent say “I’m looking for anyone who is married.” Instead, the insurance agent would be better off saying “I’d like to talk to people who have just had their first child” or “I’d like to talk to people you know who are business owners with a partner.” Paint a picture of the people you are looking to meet and it will help people remember.
A few years ago, one of our members asked for an introduction to someone in the HR department at the World Bank. He was persistent in his request and after two years, the introduction happened which ultimately made a significant difference in his business. If he had only asked for the introduction once, other members of his team might have forgotten but his focus and his persistence paid off.