So your going to a connecting function that you have never been to before (or maybe even one you have) determined to crack the connection code and start building priceless business relationships. Here are five proven strategies for making contact at connection events.

1. Go it alone. When attending connection functions, go by yourself or at least communicate to your carpool buddies that you should all fan out. Moving about an event solo encourages people to approach you and makes it easy to mingle and initiate conversations. It may be more comfortable to have a friend right there with you, but remember: you are there to grow your network, not hang with the people already in your network.

2. Study the tags. If name tags are pre-printed and on display at the registration table, scan the tags of the other attendees to see what opportunities await you. Here’s something, though I have not tried this myself, Rachel Wood, a top financial advisor in the Boston area who introduced herself to me after one of my CODE Crackers Networking seminars, does something pretty neato. If she spots a name tag on the registration table of someone she would like to meet, she asks the people manning the table if she can clip a note to their tag saying she would like to meet them. She swears by it.

3. Circle and scan. Before diving into the event, try circling the room and checking out the name tags for people or companies you definitely want to make contact with while there.

4. Look for people standing alone. These folks may be nervous, and your initiative will often endear you to them. Plus, one-on-one connecting is the best connecting.

5. Sit between people you do not know well. If the event is a sit-down affair, do not sit by a friend or business associate. You already know that person! Plan who you want to sit by, but wait until the last minute to actually sit down so you can keep making new contacts.

Share how you’ve stood out at a networking event in the comment box below.

It’s 9:00 pm on a Sunday night. I’m just leaving a Spoken word poetry event at the King Arts complex. I’m in my car which happens to have rims and a tint on, but it’s unfortunate because I’m in a side of town that says if your young, and have a flashy car you have to be pulled over. I’m driving the speed limit still in my suit looking like a million bucks when I see Red and Blue Lights flashing.

Officer -”Sir I need to see your license.”

Uhh Ok…

“Do you want my insurance and registration?”

I say Officer- “Nope”.

The next words I hear are step out of the car.

But “what did I do?”

“Your license plate light is out!”

Ohhhhh Really I say to myself. Next thing I know I’m in handcuffs in the back of the car. About 30 minutes later I’m let go with a ticket.

As I’m riding back I’m feeling sad… Not helpless but still frustrated because It’s not too much I can do. I get home I’m thinking to myself “man I can’t wait to be a fricking Billionaire so things like this will never happen” is my intentions. Only if I knew the right people or even cop things would have been much easier. Not even 2 minutes after I say that I have a message in my inbox that says “Call me and here’s my number”. I call and to my astonishment I have a friend I went to high school with that is now a cop. He tells me that the cop who just arrested him calls him and ask if he knows me because in the text of our conversation I mention that I went to wright state. The guy who I went to high school with tells him yea Rob Coats! “He’s cool, real clean cut brotha.” The cop then says he was pretty cool and then tells him he wants to change it to a code 2 which is just a warning but can’t because he just got in trouble for it.

Now if that’s not the law of attraction I don’t know what is! I was frustrated at the situation but now just thinking about it I’m grateful because not only do I have a friend who is a cop but if something in the future happens I have his cell and all I have to do is mention that I know him and I’m good!! That’s crazy! I knew connecting and networking was important but now I feel like I just went to a revival because I’m even more excited to help my friend who is a cop get a house because he’s been renting. They say everything happens for a reason and that couldn’t be anymore true then what just took place tonight. My advice: Always keep a good name and treat people right because you never know when or where you will need that person or when your character will be questioned…

Connect with me on Twitter and leave a comment in the box below.

It seems so simple but I’m still not convinced that most people understand the power of this statement. How many times have you heard someone say “I don’t care”?

I have a nephew who just turned 16 years old and it seems like this is his favorite thing to say to his mother, grand parents, or any other adult that you would think respect would automatically be given.

The second day at his new high school he got suspended for fighting another young boy because he didn’t like the way he was looking at him. When his principal asked him how he thought his recent performance would affect his grades, he looked away, shrugged his shoulders and said boldly, “I don’t care!” Whenever he’s getting in trouble (which seems like every second of the day) his response to everybody but his friends or myself is “I DON’T CARE!”

When I picked him up from school that day, I said “Tyler, what’s going on? Tell me your side of the story and what really happened.” Now most people upon hearing this news would have immediately began with a lengthy discourse and started the punishment process, but I decided to take different approach because I know there is always two sides to every story. He readily started to open up about the civil conflict and finish every line with “You feel me bro?” Now why do you think his response to me, his uncle, was different then that of most other adults? Because I seeked first to understand then, to be understood. I listened to what he cared about first and followed with, “I can understand where your coming from and I can see how that would make you feel.” Once he knew that I CARED about him, that opened the door to allow him to be receptive of new information as to how this conflict could have been avoided and not just take my advice as a grain of salt. Because we have developed this bond, his response is usually,”Yea.. Your right. I’ll think before I act the next time.”

Now if this statement (People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care) is true how can you apply this to your networkmarketing business? When your introduced to a Multi Level Marketing company and your sitting there at the presentation or your giving one to a person, they have to know that you care about them? That your achieving there goals more than you just getting a commission check. That you want to help them move from the mindset of I wish I could do, to, I know I can.

In addition to helping people change their psychological process to the positive, it is still the duty of every networker to know clearly your inventory, your product, the mechanics and possess the negotiating skills to be a success in network marketing. Most importantly, without a genuine love for people… you can forget it.

Rob Coats,

If you Care… Then Please leave me your feedback

“Success without Significance, has no value”