One of the biggest mistakes people make is talking too much when they network, sell, and follow up. This is caused by either believing they have to tell the other person everything, or not even realizing they’re doing it.
Let’s break it down.
When you go to a networking event and someone asks you what you do, how much do you tell them? If you talk for more than 60 seconds without stopping and asking them a question, you are talking too much. If you are at a networking event and there’s a roundtable discussion where everyone is introducing themselves and sharing something about their business, you should be able to share in less than 60 seconds.
Ask yourself this question – How much do people really want to know? Not sure? Ask yourself this question – How much do you want to know about them? Probably a little bit. I would bet you lose interest in anything they are telling you if they go on for more than 60-90 seconds. Well, that’s as much as they want to know about you too.
When someone goes on and on and on it appears that either they don’t have a clear idea of the value they bring, or they are more interested in talking about themselves than hearing about other people. The trouble occurs when the other person really isn’t interested. Now they are simply annoyed. Annoying people is not a networking strategy.
When you are in the selling situation your goal should be to learn. So, talking should be at a minimum. Once again, asking yourself how much the other person really wants to know will help you stay in line. And don’t kid yourself into believing they want to hear everything about your business. They don’t. They are only interested in the situation they are having that you might be able to solve. And your job is to learn as much as you can so you can determine whether you have a solution, and whether you want to work with them.
The more you talk, the less they are listening. One of the dangers here is that when they stop listening, they might not hear the actual solution. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to share information in the future if you can stay focused on the prospect and what they need.
Lastly, when you follow up with anyone after any engagement, remember that it’s about them not you. The follow up is not the time to do a data dump. Some people think that the follow up from meeting someone at a networking event is the time to share everything about their product or service. It isn’t. Chances are good that you don’t want someone doing that to you. So, don’t do it to them.
Share less. Listen more. Empower others to ask you questions and give short answers. You’ll be more interesting and engaging. And, I submit, you will get the opportunity over time to share everything you want to share.
