It is more important to gather business cards than to give out cards.
Marketing yourself with a book requires networking. What is the best way to network with people at business functions, like Chamber of Commerce mixers or association luncheons?
According to Bob Burg, author of the bestselling book Endless Referrals, “All things being equal, people will do business with, and refer business to, people they know, like and trust.”
One key to quickly establishing this type of connection is showing interest in other people by asking them questions. Burg has developed a series of questions to ask people at networking events that are not sales-oriented in any way. These are fun questions to ask and fun questions to answer.
While you will never need or have time to ask all of his questions during a conversation, Burg maintains it is good to have an arsenal to choose from. Here are four his 10 questions:
- How did you get your start in the widget business?
- What do you enjoy most about your profession?
- What do you see as the coming trends in the widget business?
- What one sentence would you like people to use in describing the way you do business?
That should get a positive conversation going.