Networking Secrets from N.J. Business Execs

The Edge for February 2019

Wall-to-wall networking at the Walk to Washington

Now is a good time to brush up on your networking skills - with the state’s top business networking event, the N.J. Chamber’s Walk to Washington, coming up on Feb. 28 and March 1. We have asked some members of the N.J. Chamber, the ones we consider some of our best networkers, to dish out their secrets on meeting people and developing prospects. Their answers are below (and if you want attend the Walk to Washington, you can get more info and register by clicking here.)

Put Away the Cell Phone, and Use Anything in the Room as a Conversation Starter

Try to go up to at least one person that you don’t know and ask them about the event. Maybe they are looking for someone to talk to. Smile - look warm and friendly. Use anything in the room as a conversation starter. If you are near the food, say, ‘the food looks good.’ Nobody is going to be turned off because you are talking to them. Everybody is there to talk. If a group of people have congregated and there is a lull in the conversation, that’s an opportunity to walk up to them. If they are not chatting, you are not interrupting. I’ll walk up, say ‘hello’ and ask their names. Other conversation starters are: Have you been here before? Do you usually attend networking events? Also, don’t stand too close to people. Keep the conversation light. And put away the cell phone!

– Ashley D. Krompier, Senior Marketing Coordinator, WithumSmith+Brown

Get to Know People on a Personal Level, the Business Comes Later

I ask people, ‘How long have you been in the field? How did you get in the field?' But I don’t only ask about careers. I ask people about their background - their hobbies, their passions. My advice would be to get to know people on a personal level, and the business comes later.

– Gaelle Tchokoua, Associate, Middle Market Commercial Banking, M&T Bank

Be Memorable

Our involvement with the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce is an example of a business organization that is beneficial to our organization and provides options for both informal and formal networking opportunities. When an event is informal, don’t be the person who immediately launches into an elevator pitch. Your goal is to engage and be memorable. Let your listening skills do the talking. During a formal gathering where business is the goal, your elevator pitch with personality can be successful. Be the person that people want to gravitate towards. Take the time to find out one interesting fact about a person that you can use in a follow-up email.

– Randy Stodard, Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Delta Dental of New Jersey

Follow Up After the Networking Event

Networking is one of those things that you get out of it what you put into it. You can connect with many interesting professionals, but if you don’t take the time to follow up and keep the correspondence going, it can be as if you didn’t attend the event in the first place. Taking the time to reach out can go a long way toward building relationships. You never know where that next mentor, job opportunity or new client may come from.

– Ralph Albert Thomas, CPA (DC), CGMA, CEO and Executive Director, NJCPA

Ask Open-Ended Questions

Networking, much like public speaking, is something you might be uncomfortable with at first but you have to force yourself to do it and learn from others. I look at every meeting or event as an opportunity to meet people and find ways to help them in their business or personal lives. Ask open-ended questions to get people talking about themselves, and discover their interests. Techniques like being a good listener, displaying genuine interest in the other person, making them feel important and talking in terms of their interests are just a few of the principles from Dale Carnegie’s book, How To Win Friends and Influence People.

– Walter J. Brasch, Chief Success Officer, Prager Metis

Find Common Interests

Referring to a common point of interest is the best form of icebreaker. One key way to sustain a conversation with anyone is to be more of a listener than a talker. Of course, you can never ask too many questions. The final piece of the networking puzzle is to follow-up after the event. Many great opportunities have gone astray because of a lack of follow-up.

– Jay Weinstein, Partner-in-Charge of EisnerAmper’s New Jersey office