One of the intriguing ideas that I wrote down was an action concept they called "Three INs." The authentic business relationship between lawyer and contact/prospect generates three kinds of responses that facilitate a continuing conversation and a deepening understanding of one another:
- Invitations - these would be issued along the lines of the contact's specific interests, might be educational, social or some other mutually enjoyable shared activity;
- Introductions - these would be among contacts to assist in building corollary business or social relationships that would benefit the contact's career, life or happiness;
- Information - these would be highly customized for top prospects, perhaps regarding the specific business expertise of the contact or the lawyer, or for some other situation that reflects shared goals.
- Always keep your business cards where you can fetch them in two seconds (the 2-second rule);
- Approach individuals or groups of three to introduce yourself, where conversations are easier to start and participate in (the 1 or 3 rule);
- When waiting in a long line, make two friends by speaking to both the person in front of you and behind you;
- When you speak with someone new, make at least three minutes of conversation to be gracious, ten minutes to have a deeper discussion and fifteen minutes of conversation for a hot prospect, then move on (the 3-10-15 rule);
- Avoid lingering in conversations (or getting trapped in unproductive chats) by preparing to exit with finesse, step away for food or drink or have a ready reason (return a call, check for client email) to depart.
What advice can you add for business networking? How would you overcome the natural reluctance to make an intentional process out of social conversations?
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