start me up!

Entrepreneurs' Forum of Greater Philly workshop, prelude

I'm not good at schmoozing. I admit it. The worst part is that for years I wore my social reticence as a kind of badge of honor, because as everyone knows, engineers aren't supposed to be good socially. Scott Adams' Dilbert is always there to remind us.

But you know what? I've decided I'm willing to learn how. This is a skill I've denied myself for far too long -- and who knows what opportunities have been lost on the way? I figured this out when attending a workshop on "guerrilla marketing" hosted by the Entrepreneurs' Forum of Greater Philadelphia last night. (The notes on the workshop itself are forthcoming.) I saw a crowd of 250 entrepreneurs, at various stages of hunger, and if there's one thing we know it's that entrepreneurs love to network. Since I don't really know how -- REALLY know how -- I decided to watch, and to take pictures (like the one above), as the networking session went on before the workshop itself.

I met Michelle Faustin of MJF Enterprises, and found that one secret to networking is to know what you are about, and know how to communicate this briefly to anyone who asks. Michelle, although lacking a real Web site, has a talent for tossing out her mission during a conversation. And one thing I also know how to do is to create a mission statement.

But it's not about selling something to everyone you meet, because not everyone (read: almost no-one) is buying. I think the issue with networking is the social connection, which (as in most social settings) is based largely on shared experience. Still, along came a guy named Randy Zeitman, whose Stone Rose Design does Web and print design and marketing, and he's handing out his three-fold business cards from a little slotted dispenser. His goal seems to be to hand them all out. But when the workshop started he got plaudits from one of the speakers for imagination, so that might indicate his method works.

And even if you only hand out two or three business cards at such an event, you should at least have them with you. Young entrepreneurs need to think about leaving behind an impression, and old micropatrons like me could stand to do likewise. So I went to VistaPrint and ordered up some (they do up orders of 250 just for shipping costs) for myself. I don't want to be left without them when I need them, ever again. If I use mine up in a hurry, we can talk about something more substantial. Zeitman's lesson, as I see it, is to recognize that your business card is a talking point. The actual talking can happen now or later.

The workshop got under way, and as an icebreaker, the session leader asked for four volunteers to come up and talk about their businesses -- each in one minute. Funny, I would've expected a crowd going for an offer like that, but not very many did. So I said to myself, "now's the time to see whether my new resolve is worth anything," and I stood up. In one minute, I was able to mention Holcombe Chassis Works, Juterphusion, Clutterbutter, and the IMET Corporation. I told the audience I was there because "my students need me." (Have to write more on that later.) Not a bad day's work. But more notes and observations follow.

Labels: consulting

posted by Ron @ 3:01 PM