THOUGHTS FOR INTROVERTS
What’s the purpose of this article? To give you a people-meeting, networking strategy you can execute even if you’re the shyest person in the room.
REALLY EXCITING ENTREPRENEURS
Not long ago, an entrepreneur attended the most amazing conference he had ever attended. The audience included over 700 entrepreneurs from around the globe who came together to learn a game-changing methodology.
While waiting for the conference doors to open, the entrepreneur began to meet some of the most interesting and stimulating people he’d ever met in his life. Within minutes of the conference hall filling up, the energy created by this unique group of innovative, risk-taking, idea-generating, business-creating entrepreneurs was uniquely evident.
A PEOPLE-MEETING STRATEGY FOR MEETINGS
Having watched posts in a private Facebook group connected to this conference for the two weeks prior to the conference, the entrepreneur knew that many introverted entrepreneurs would be in attendance. The entrepreneur himself was not a social butterfly, but he wasn’t entirely shy either. He made it his intentional strategy to introduce himself to enough people to generate one new take-home relationship per day.
CRUSHED HIS PEOPLE-MEETING GOALS
He crushed his goal by meeting on average, ten new people per day. If you’re an introvert who is headed to a conference, do you make a point of tapping people on the shoulder and simply introducing yourself? This entrepreneur did this and he didn’t encounter a single person who was not willing to get to know him. Tapping a stranger on the shoulder might be the most difficult thing you’ve ever done, but you’re about to learn the rewards the entrepreneur received by initiating conversations.
A TAP ON THE SHOULDER
On the second day of the conference, activity ran from 9 AM to 9 PM. The entrepreneur ’s conference extended beyond the normal conference hours by way of an extended 2.5-hour meeting he shared with one of the most amazing conference attendees who is now quickly becoming a new friend and business partner.
SHAKING HANDS
The entrepreneur’s simple plan formed a connection with another conference goer. This meeting was a simple handshake between sessions. The meeting might have lasted for 3-4 minutes but that’s all. The entrepreneurs were from the US and Germany. These two shy conference goers are about to become business partners as well.
INTROVERTS, THIS IS FOR YOU!
These meetings happened because the entrepreneur took the initiative to tap people on the shoulder who were sitting in the row in front of him for three days in a row. This is exactly what he did and said.
- He tapped people on the shoulder during breaks
- Hi, I’m Tom…what’s your name? Where are you from and what do you do?
That’s it! He did nothing more difficult than what you just read. He discovered, by monitoring the Facebook group, that many people who were headed to the conference were anxious about being in a crowd of 700 and thinking that they might be the only shy person in the crowd.
EVERYTHING TO GAIN...NOTHING TO LOSE
If you’re an introvert yourself, there’s nothing to lose when you tap another introvert on the shoulder. They might even be more nervous about meeting new people than you are. Whether they’re nervous or not, forming the intention to meet people, setting goals for meeting new people, and then executing on your strategy is a no-lose proposition.
Not only did the entrepreneur intentionally tap people on the shoulder, he moved from one section to another in the conference venue over the three days of the conference so there would be a 100% chance that he’d be sitting next to and behind different people throughout each of the three days.
ONE MORE THOUGHT
If he’d never tapped shy people on the shoulder and executed a simple get to know new people strategy, the entrepreneur would have never met his new business partners.
It all began with an intention that was acted upon. You, Mr. or Ms. Introvert, can do this too!
Jeff Snyder’s, Self-Confidence Building Coaching Blog, 719.686.8810
