How We Help Our Team Build Business Confidence
By Heather Halligan, Marketing Manager and Michelle Hoffman, Business Development Coordinator
“Self-confidence is a superpower. Once you start to believe in yourself, magic starts happening.”
This quote from an unknown source completely epitomizes our mindset when it comes to building business confidence.
Many of our team members, initially, are hesitant to go to networking events because they’re afraid they’ll be awkward or they set goals that are too lofty.
Learning to embrace the awkwardness is how you improve your networking skills. And sometimes, just getting out of the car is a good enough goal for some people who have limited networking experience.
Let’s discuss three ways we help our staff build business confidence, and feel free to apply these same strategies for your team.
Meet New Staff Members
When we hire new employees, we meet with them to discuss networking opportunities in the firm. We talk about the community mixers and local events we attend, focusing on relationships and building connections while worrying about sales and leads later.
Networking events are designed for short conversations with lots of people. So, be on the lookout for telltale signs that a conversation has served its purpose.
Every new employee has a different background. Some have lots of networking experience, while others are fresh out of college with little to no networking experience.
By meeting each new staff member, we can talk about their strengths and interests, ways to improve their weaknesses, and set small, achievable goals so they don’t feel overwhelmed the first time they represent our firm.
Provide 1-on-1 Guidance
If any of our team members feel like they need more training, we’re here to help.
A classroom setting can be an intimidating experience to ask questions or practice your elevator pitch. So, we start small with 1-on-1 guidance for those who ask for it.
Recent college graduates might need more guidance on proper attire or when to show up. But we also have young professionals who have been out of college for a while and don’t know how to initiate a conversation with a stranger or give an elevator pitch.
We even offer to come with them to their first event, so they have some familiarity and can get real-time training and tips to improve their skills.
Research the event ahead of time and find out who will be attending and what industries will be there. You can then tailor your intro to the event. If you have an idea of who you might meet, that will make it easier to figure out the talking points that might spark meaningful conversations.
Look for Natural Exit Cues (and Use Them Graciously)
We’ve all been stuck in conversations that drag on just a bit too long. You awkwardly slide toward the door as you try to politely exit the conversation.
Networking events are designed for short conversations with lots of people. So, be on the lookout for telltale signs that a conversation has served its purpose.
Verbal cues
- Repeating the same points
- One-word or short responses
Nonverbal cues
- Looking away
- Checking a watch
If you start to see these signs from the person you’re talking to (or you’re noticing you’re doing these things), graciously exit the conversation with a positive tone.
1-on-1 guidance also is helpful for recapping an event and discussing leads or cross-selling opportunities between departments.
Offer Yearly Training
Lastly, we offer yearly training to all team members.
Whether they’ve been to 0 or 100 networking events, yearly training helps our team remember the basics, as well as learn practical advice to help them become better networkers.
The training covers leading and probing questions, as well as role-playing, to help all team members sharpen their skills.
Let’s Work Together
Are you looking to grow your business connections? We want all members of our community to build business confidence, not just those who work for us. If your team struggles with networking confidence, let’s talk about how we can help your organization flourish!
