SHAMOKIN - Members of the Brush Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce naturally "network" at their monthly luncheons.
At Tuesday's gathering at Harry's Grill, they found out how to make the most of it.
"Network Your Way to Success" was the topic of guest speaker David Burns, Selinsgrove area, owner of Burns Training-Speaking-Consulting.
Networking is to interact, but it's also to remember and understand, said Burns, who has been a business consultant since 2005 after selling his martial arts, fitness and personal and corporate safety business in Selinsgrove after 25 years.
He conducted an exercise in which the 20 chambers members in attendance said their name, the company they represent, what they do and why they like networking. Burns then focused on how people described their duties, and advised that they "polish their tag" to make a more memorable first impression.
For example, when he meets people at business functions, Burns doesn't simply say he's a corporate trainer; he tells them that he helps businesses make more money. That gets their attention, and it's something they remember, he said.
He related "polishing your tag" to a salesman describing a digital camera. It's great that it takes 10 megapixel photos, but that technical knowledge means little to the customer. Instead, the salesman should say the camera will allow the potential customer to take quality pictures at his son's nighttime sporting event. In other words, don't focus so much on the features of a job or product, but on the benefits, Burns said.
Also, be prepared to tell those you meet through networking "what separates you from the competition."
Another key to networking is listening. He asked why people have trouble remembering names, and said it is often simply a matter of paying attention. He then went around the room and named everyone present, almost all of whom he had just met, stumbling on just one name.
Burns acknowledged having done his homework through social media to help with some of the names. Further on that point, he played a short YouTube video to emphasize that social media is "word of mouth on steroids." He said Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and other such services can augment typical networking functions.
Burns said small talk and open-ended questions can seem insignificant, but are effective networking tools. He suggested people write notes on business cards they collect, including when and where they met the person and what they talked about. That is the "follow-up" portion of networking that starts with the "speak-up" and "listen-up" techniques that occur face to face.
Networking, like all business, is about sales, Burns stressed. And we're all in sales.
"Are any of you married?" he asked. "Then you are in sales," he said to laughter.