Human: a Networking Animal
The topic of building business relationships is presented by Artur Sójka – President of Biznes Klub Polska, a specialist featured at the Great World of Networking organized by TRUST.
Human Beings Are Herd Animals—or, As I Prefer, Networking Animals. No one among us is a solitary island, and none of us has achieved everything we possess and can do entirely on our own. If anyone disagrees, let them think back to their birth and their first months or years of life.
Throughout our existence, we are dependent on others—at different stages of life, on different people, but always on someone. Perhaps a better term would be “interdependent,” since others also depend on us.
These words open the book titled Eventworking, or How to Effectively Utilize the Potential of Conferences, Trade Fairs, and Other Business Events: A Guide for Entrepreneurs, Managers, and Salespeople. Armed with the knowledge contained in that book, I had the great pleasure of visiting Oslo during the Grand Networking Festival on June 8–9 of this year, organized by TRUST Club.
For me, this event began as early as Friday. The entire organizational team met with me at the venue for a pre-event briefing. We discussed how to best ensure participants’ comfort and how to courteously facilitate networking. What appears to be completely spontaneous is, in fact, most effective when it is thoroughly prepared—much like an actor’s performance: the more natural it looks, the more practice and effort went into it. That’s why we prepared with the TRUST team, and I also advise you to always prepare for meetings with other people.
Things to Know:
???? Where are you going?
???? Who will be there?
???? What is the event’s convention (dress code, whether to use first-name or formal address, etc.)?
???? What does the agenda look like? When do you plan to be in the lecture hall versus in the networking area?
???? How many people do you want to meet, and what will you do after the event to follow up, build relationships—and who knows, perhaps even turn contacts into contracts?????
On Saturday, when participants began to arrive, I supervised the networking area. Whenever someone was standing alone in a corner of the room, I would approach them and encourage them to meet others. Many people thanked me. They said they felt awkward—“it just feels kind of silly” to approach strangers—but that they would be very grateful if I introduced them to someone. Everyone wants to be part of a larger group, but we don’t always have enough extroversion to initiate contact.
I also approached groups of people who, at first glance, seemed too comfortable. Not that they were doing anything wrong—they were simply behaving as if they’d known each other for years. It turned out that they were from the same company or had already been talking at TRUST events multiple times. That, too, is not ideal, because we’re not meeting anyone new.
Sunday was largely devoted to learning how to conduct a so-called follow-up. We spent the day on a yacht, enjoying excellent catering, engaging conversations, and delicious beverages. However, we also found time for a workshop on using LinkedIn for networking and business in general (including sales).
And that’s how I took the opportunity to introduce myself to you. In summary: For 17 years, I have been turning contacts into contracts and teaching others how to do the same. I wrote a book about it, which is mentioned in this article.
I conduct interactive networking workshops that not only offer a highly practical approach—teaching knowledge that we immediately apply and practice—but also serve as an excellent way to integrate participants. I moderate networking sessions so that everyone at events, whether introverts or extroverts, has a chance to leverage the potential of contacts. I speak on stage about networking, relationship building, sales, and negotiation. Sometimes, I even serve as a master of ceremonies. I also offer online networking training, showing you how to harness LinkedIn to work for you and your company.
And now I’m counting on a return favor. That means you will introduce yourself to me. Who knows, it might lead to a wonderful collaboration. ????
Contact Me:
Artur Sójka
President, Biznes Klub Polska
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/artursojka/
Tel. +48 536 401 493
E-mail: Artur.Sojka@BiznesKlubPolska.pl
