Susan RoAne has written one of the most authoritative books on networking of the last 35 years. I had the honor of promoting her classic book, How To Work A Room, when I first broke into book publishing three decades ago. Below is an insightful interview about how her methods are still being employed today.
2. What is the key to working a room these days? Be prepared. You’re either invited or expected to attend so might as well make the most of the opportunity. It’s the Army’s 5 P’s. Prior planning for an event we’ll spend 2 hours or 2 days prevents poor performance.
PREPARE:
1. Attitude. Switch from “I wonder who I’ll meet” to
“I wonder who I’ll GET to meet.”
2.
Self-introduction. It’s wonderful when someone introduces us
around but we must
rely
on ourselves.
3. Conversation.
Read a newspaper or content curator. Be aware of the latest in the
industry as well as human interest, sports, entertainment and
NEWS.
There is so much going on in the world that contributes to conversation.
With homage to Dick Tracy… it’s so easy….we now can even read the news on our watches! Have 3 conversation topics prepared just in case.
MIND YOUR MANNERS is the watchword that is important today as it was 30 years ago.
3.
How can one work a virtual room? Treat the virtual
room as you would an in-person gathering. Dress for the event; biz casual; not
Schlubby. Why? Research indicates that
when we look better. we feel better and project confidence. Remember Manners
and courtesy count. Have conversation
ready. Identify the purpose of the gathering and do the due
diligence/research. Make sure you know
the nuances of lighting, where to look (at the camera not the screen) etc. Know WHY you’re in any room or Zoom. Having
that intention or purpose in mind helps us focus. Use the Chat function to
introduce yourself to people. Add in
your email address or linked in profile. Send private messages. Participate!!! Speak up in breakout rooms and in the main
rooms. When you hear something that
sparks your interest let that person know via Chat function or address them in
the Zoom. “Excellent point”. “Thanks for
that suggestion.
4.
What works in winning people over so that they will
want to do business with you? Being approachable, friendly, engaging
and making people feel comfortable make ppl want to do biz with you. LISTEN
when they talk and respond accordingly. Studies show that having a sense of
humor and sharing laughter draws people to us.
And Eye contact! More women fill
the room today than a generation or two ago. How has that changed the dynamics
of working a room! What we’ve learned is that the “OLD BOYS Networking will no
longer work. Women are the keeper of the relationships so I see an even
brighter future for women and the men they work with.
5.
Are you surprised that one of your books is considered
one of the all-time greats for networking? Funny thing is that How To Work
a Room is not my favorite book! (The Secrets of Savvy Networking is) BUT
I’m thrilled it has made a difference
for so many readers worldwide. I worked for decades to make my books
bestsellers on REAL legit lists. (Against some BIG odds as you know). Even thinking
about what I did for decades to make that happen exhausts me!
6.
What is missing from our online social media
networking that needs to be changed or improved? Oh, how I wish we
had social media in the days of my early books.
My personal opinion is that we need to add the human voice/face to that
which is KEYBored.
7.
How did you learn to quickly read a room, make
strategic moves on whom to talk to, and psychologically win people over, and
make meaningful connections? Interestingly enough this question is not
my approach, which has always been more generic and not as targeted. I knew to observe and knew who I had to talk
to but I am “nice” to everyone because of one of my core beliefs. The marketing
mantra is “YOU NEVER KNOW” so it pays to be friendly to all.
8. Today’s room increasingly has more diversity — of race, gender, sexuality, faith, and nationality. What role, if any, do these changing demographics play in how we tend to network? As I wrote in 1993 in The Secrets of SAVVY Networking, “If our networks look like us, went to school with us, believe what we do etc…we are missing out!” we must have DIVERSE networks of people or we shut ourselves off of sources, resourses,. And that is the opposite of Networking, it’s NOTworking. It does not serve us to live in a monochromatic world! We can use social media, email and that OLD SCHOOL TOOL, the phone or phone app, on those cameras we carry to remind people who we are!
About Susan RoAne: She is a keynote speaker, best-selling author of How To Work a Room, and named one of Forbes' Top 25 Networking Experts. For more information, please see: www.susanroane.com.
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About Brian Feinblum
Brian Feinblum should
be followed on Twitter @theprexpert. This is copyrighted by
BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2022. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in
Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog. His
writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The
Independent. This blog, with over 4,000 posts over the past decade,
was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and
recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing
blogs. It was also named by WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For
the past three decades, including 21 as the head of marketing for the nation’s
largest book publicity firm, and two jobs at two independent presses, Brian has
worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along
with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth,
Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey
Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Susan RoAne,
Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He recently hosted a
panel on book publicity for Book Expo America, and has spoken at ASJA, IBPA,
Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers
Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, and Connecticut Authors
and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have been published
in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News,
Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The
Washington Post. He has been featured in The Sun
Sentinel and Miami Herald. For more information,
please consult: linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum.
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