Today
we publish the second in a series of five articles aimed at budding candidates from Heather White, the
professional relationship expert and networker extraordinaire who
founded Smarter Networking
(whose website also includes more free networking advice).
> Last week: Developing and executing a networking strategy
This is the second instalment in my series regarding successful networking for new prospective parliamentary candidates, and probably the most important of them all. Indeed, you can plan and prepare until the cows come home but it is the impression that you make on the people that matter which will leave a lasting impression. It is important that you hit the ground running and appear personable, trustworthy, friendly and someone who gets things done.
Doing the leg-work
As mentioned last week, devising a strategy in advance of going out and meeting new people is worthwhile if you are keen to track your progress and ensure that you meet all of your ‘targets’. This may seem slightly mechanical, but in the world of politics – especially to those only just involving themselves in it – contacts and effective networking are the vital qualities the successful people in this field possess.
Once you have a plan in place, and events to attend, try and find out who will be at each event and prioritise to the single event you plan on going to that day. Don’t think about the future, just relax and look forward to your immediate engagement. Look at who will be attending and try to realistically limit the amount of people you wish to speak to – other than those you already know – to four or five. These needn’t be the most influential or important people at the event, but as long as their association is useful to you then they’re most definitely worth it.
Once you have an idea of your ‘top five’, try and dig a little deeper and ask yourself these questions:
- Who are they and what do they stand for? Are they a principled advocate of a cause or particular stance?
- Have they made any recent remarks or appearances which you can refer to?
- Do you know anyone already at the event who may be able to introduce you?
If they are an existing politician it may be worth researching what they’ve said, how they’ve voted and their particular style. If they are a party donor, potential donor or influential supporter, try and look into their background and do some research. If they are a party organiser or important member of the constituency or policy team try and understand their specific areas of interest. This is all worthwhile preparation work as it will offer good subject matter for conversations and the potential to explore common ground.
The final thing you should prepare before you make contact with someone is your ‘ask’. An ‘ask’ is something that you can ask of them during the conversation to guarantee that you are able to follow up with them after the event. Assuming that you only have four minutes to chat with this person, a chance to follow up afterwards is a great way of ensuring that you can continue to network at the event safe in the knowledge that you have a reason to come back to this person at a later date.
This ‘ask’ also ensures that you stay in the mind of the person you’ve been speaking to and they will remember what you’ve said after the event. It also gives the impression that this person is of use to you and you to them – especially if you can offer to contact them about a specific issue or topic which you could help them with. Being useful is the most important asset to possess to people you wish to remain in touch with... obviously just being a nice chap/chap-ess works too!
The moment of truth
The moment has arrived at the event when you’ve either built up your confidence to approach one of your ‘targets’ or the decision has been taken out of your hands and you’re faced with making an introduction. Here are a few easy-to-remember tips when introducing yourself:
- Have a good, strong handshake – aside from the fact that limp handshakes are more than a little off-putting, an assertive handshake demonstrates confidence and a willingness to engage.
- Maintain good, positive eye contact – you’ll appear open and friendly and it can be seen as a little rude not to!
- Remember body language – all of those statistics regarding how much we say via body language are important. Having an open stance, facing towards the person you’re talking to shows that you are fully engaged in the conversation. Want-away guests will obviously appear less engaged through their body language if the conversation begins to tail off.
- Keep conversation light, social and polite before steaming in with your ‘ask’. The last impression you want to make is that you’re some sort of salesperson...
If you get their contact details make sure that you follow up on them and get in touch. There is no point in making the effort of meeting someone if you don’t follow up with them and keep the relationship going.
Next week: Getting to know your constituency
