We’ve all been to networking events and stumble at our words, probably more often than we should. Worse, we get so worked up because we cannot get any results from networking events!

This episode will help you break that mentality with guided 3-steps to create an effective networking experience for you and your business.

This is a really exciting episode, so let’s tune in!

Listen to the Episode below:

In this episode, you'll hear about:

Focus on your elevator pitch
Enter when circles are broken
Remember AAH (Always About Her/Him)

Imagine you’re at a networking event. You pick up a cup of coffee, then you make eye contact with someone. You approach them and shake their hand. You introduce yourself with your name and profession and hand over your namecard. Then, they ask you “What do you really do?” and you’re stuck there for a long time….

That’s exactly what today’s episode is about and we’ll go deep into helping you achieve Effective Networking as a Fempreneur.

INTRO:
Welcome to Fempreneur Secrets Podcast, where business secrets are revealed! My name is Huda and I’m the founder of Fempreneur Secrets, an online community for women to start and grow their business.
I created this podcast to inspire women from all walks of life to get started into business. They’re all meant to be step by step so you can take quick action into your life and business today! So, let’s get started!*

So, after getting stuck to answer what you really do, you try to respond anyway. You respond in a haphazard manner, listing all the services you provide.

Lost for words, you keep quiet and hope the other party will share about their business. If they do, great! You get to breathe now. If they don’t, then my friend you are in for a super awkward experience!

We’ve all been there and I have especially been there more than once in my journey. I’ve not been a great networker overnight. It has always been a work in progress. And even till today, there will always be my good networking days and those terrible ones where no one seemed to get my jokes.

Here are the 3 things you can do for an effective networking experience as a fempreneur.

#1: Focus on your elevator pitch

Your elevator pitch is an introduction to your business, values, benefits and offer in one.

We went in-depth to develop your elevator pitch in episode 017. If you have not heard it, you could go on and tune in to episode 017 on how to craft the perfect self-introduction.

When you focus on your elevator pitch, you’re commanding the narrative of your conversation. You’re not only leading the conversation the way you want to, but you’re giving the other party a more useful insight into your business. If they’re interested in what you have to say, they will build on it and you will be pulled into a two-way conversation.

So, perfect your elevator pitch and focus on it.

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#2: Enter when circles are broken

This a whole different level of knowledge when it comes to identifying which small groups you should join.

Basically, when there’s 2 people, it’s safe to join the group and introduce yourself.

It’s when there’s more than 2 that it gets interesting. You’ll have to wait for the circles to break. The moment there’s a break or space in between the people, that’s a sign for you to enter the conversation.

As common courtesy, always enter from the where the person’s body is facing you. IF the person’s body is facing you from the right, you enter from the right. And vice versa.

This is what is commonly known as the “OPEN” position. This signals that they person is open to a conversation and can accept new ones.

Once you’re in, wait for a moment of silence or pause and then introduce yourself to the person standing on the opposite of you. I find that this works better than introducing yourself to the person next to you. When you extend yourself into the group, you’re signaling to others that you’re open to a conversation with all.

So, enter only when circles are broken.

# 3: Remember “AAH” or Always About Her/Him.

After you’ve introduced yourself and your elevator pitch, hold for 1-2 seconds to see if anyone has further questions about what you do.

If there’s no questions, it’s time to turn the attention back to them. Ask “so, what do you do, Helen?” if her name is Helen of course!

Let them talk about themselves and ask at least one follow-up questions. This shows to them that you’ve heard their sharing and makes them feel acknowledged.

If there’s any ways you can form a collaboration, partnership or connection to help them in their business, tell them right away. You don’t have to disclose too much information, but always end off with an invitation for coffee to explore that idea further.

Repeat the same process with other people in the group, and try to reel them into the conversation by connecting their trades, roles and specialisation to one another.

Once you’ve done that, surprise surprise my fempreneurs! You’re now seen as an authority in what you do AND they’ll remember AT LEAST YOUR NAME now!

We found out how much we love to share actionable tips like this to our listeners and that is why we’ve developed Fempreneur Circle, a monthly subscription for Fempreneurs like yourself to stay update with business knowledge.
You’ll gain access to actionable courses every month including The Niche Builder, Biz IG For Success and Pricing It Right. There will also be group coaching calls twice a month where we’ll check your
progress for the month. We love to help you grow, so you’ll get a chance to be on the HOTSEAT. Here, we’ll break down your challenge and guide you towards addressing it.
The first 20 Fempreneur who subscribe will receive 50% off the membership for as long as Fempreneur Circle is made available. So, quickly go on over to fempreneurcircle.com to access the membership!

TIME TO TAKE ACTION

Now that you have learnt all my 3 secrets to effective networking for fempreneurs, it’s time for you to take some action.

Firstly, listen to episode 017 and craft your perfect self-introduction also known as your elevator pitch
Secondly, go to Eventbrite and pick a free event that has an open networking segment. Register for it and save the date in your calendar
Attend the event and practice these 3 steps towards an effective networking session.

HOLD ON! Before you go, if you enjoyed this episode, I’d love for you to take a minute to leave a review on Apple Podcast. It will help me reach more people, and help me know exactly what type of episodes to produce for you. And when you’ve completed that, I want you to send a screenshot over to reviews@fempreneursecrets.com to receive a free gift from us!

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