You might be there to sell, but are they there to buy?

Photo by Flickr user toprankonlinemarketing

The next time you go to a networking event, as you survey all the other attendees, keep the following in mind: Would you rather have them as clients or as ambassadors?

How you choose to see the other people mingling about will define what behaviors you choose to deal with them.

If you want clients, get busy cornering each one, probing for needs, overcoming objections and wrestling them to the ground in order to make the sale.

• Advantages: It brings in the money over the short term. As long as new people keep showing up (or you keep moving to new venues), there will always be more sheep to shear.


• Disadvantages: It destroys your reputation (unless you like the "snake oil salesman" reputation). You lose the respect of those around you (and yourself, truth be told). You will have no successful long-term relationships since everyone looks like a target to you.

If you want ambassadors, start asking questions and being interested in their needs. Try to find ways to serve them and to bring value to their lives. Make an effort to continue to connect regularly.

• Advantages: Mutually beneficial, long-term relationships. Each "ambassador" will be looking for opportunities to connect people to you. It's a heck of a lot more fun than "selling". Over the long-term, the business will be of a higher quality and require less effort to service.


• Disadvantages: It takes time, patience, and a certain amount of faith that the process will work.

So, when you walk through the door to start engaging your fellow attendees, be sure your actions match up with your desired end results.

Greg Peters, founder of The Reluctant Networker LLC, writes, speaks and coaches about good networking practice. For more tips that can help your connections count, go to www.thereluctantnetworker.com.