Who says that an introverted person cannot be an entrepreneur? Introverts are very good at being leaders, they are focused and creative. And once they get through an initial icebreaker, introverted people are unstoppable.

I am one such person who gets jittery before stepping out of the door to meet people or, before starting a meeting or, before going through the initial small talk during a phone call. But once I am past that moment, I am a different person. I’m sure that are pretty much a lot of people out there just like me and this blog post is just for you guys!

When we are in business, we need people. We need clients, cheerleaders, collaborators and connections who will connect us to all these people. Hiding at home and having no online exposure these days is of course never a pillar of success. Did they ever say “you build your empire and they will come”? They said it wrong. Build relationships and your relationships will build your empire. 

To be a successful business or to build an empire, again, we need people. Attending networking events is one great way to meet and get to know people and create your community. If you’re introverted and have been trying to stay away from the crowds, you have probably realized that this mindset needs to change. So, try these tips and attend a few. There are hundreds of networking meetings happening online and I’m sure that once you get the taste of networking in online groups, you’ll start taking them in your stride and will ace each one.

Change your mindset.

If your belief has led you to think that all those people in the networking room are full of confidence and already very successful and that they might judge you differently, know that just about everybody in the room is almost like you. Everybody is doing the best they can. If they appear more confident and experienced, it’s only because they have been in that room a few times before and everybody has had a first time when they had probably felt exactly like you.

Go to a meeting well prepared.

If there is a guest list or an attendee list that is available to you before the meeting, look up these people online. Check out the people you would want to connect better with and write down your ‘who’ and ‘why’. Research a little more about these people because when you meet them you will have sufficient speaking points and you will connect better.

Have a strategy ready.

Prepare an elevator pitch that runs 60 to 90 seconds and practice it over and over again until you are not stumbling anymore. Practice it to a point where you can’t get it wrong anymore. Get clarity on what exactly you are representing at the meeting. People are not interested in what you want, they want to know how you can address and solve their pain. Let them know how you can be their pain reliever.

Listen to help.

Shyness is one of the best strengths of the introverted. That is why introverts are great listeners. Listen to people’s pitches and find out if you can hear their pain and help them out of it. If your business can relieve their pain, it’s crucial for you and them that you connect with them. If you could not connect during the meeting, mark these people down and remind yourself to follow up with them.

Follow up.

If you are at a physical networking event, make sure you give out your business cards to everyone and pick up everyone else’s cards. Don’t just focus on who you think might be an ideal client. Reach out to everyone over social media or email. Not everyone will be a client.

Follow up with everybody because these people in the long run could be your collaborators, cheerleaders or connections that will help at some point. If you were in an online meeting, take notes on people’s elevator pitches. If you are on Zoom, download the chat at the end of each meeting. You’ll have sufficient information to reach out to them and connect as you feel best.

Whether you are an introvert or an extravert or in between, I hope these tips helped. Always go into a networking event with a plan and once it’s over always follow up. You will build up a community in no time.

Konnector

I’m Summer Diya Selva, I’ve been a digital marketing expert for about 11 years now. I began as a virtual assistant offering digital services and online business management. As I piled add-on services to my offers, a complete digital marketing agency was born. My peers say I seem to also have a fun and unique personality as my peers say, which makes me stand out from the crowd. Hence, I suppose I attract my type of people to work with me, that makes my agency, home to a group of creative and innovative individuals that make up a great team. Many clients ask me to manage all their marketing activities, as they appreciate the benefits of the integrated approach.

On another level, I coach confused and burnt out entrepreneurs on strategically  getting back on track to do what’s necessary in their business and achieve success they thought they never could. My coaching model is called Thought Partnership Collaboration which is carefully constructed on developing an entrepreneurial and growth mindset, integrating sustainable behavioural changes with a focus on maintaining it to prevent regression.

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