Holiday Networking for Small Business – Part 2

Posted by Kevin Dervin · December 9, 2009 · Print This Article

Networking can be a powerful small business marketing tactic. This is a continuation of a recent post on Holiday Networking for Small Business Marketing.

I was reading an article the other day about the ability to engage in small talk. This is most of what’s going to take place in holiday networking scenarios. If you’re going to get the most from networking, you have to accept that small talk is part of the game.

Some people seem to come by it naturally. Others just figure it’s not in their DNA. “I just don’t have the gift of gab,” you might say. If the second description defines you, don’t discourage because you can improve on this.

Understanding and appreciating the value of small talk will help. Small talk is really just a way of breaking the ice to find things in common. Whether it’s a casual conversation or the beginning of a lifelong friendship or business relationship, most conversations start with small talk.

There are two primary reasons most never master the art of professional networking.

One reason is not disciplining yourself to think proactively about what you want and need.
The other reason is not having the courage and desire to establish new connections. Translation – find a way to get really good at small talk.

Not sure what to talk about? The holiday networking season might be the easiest for generating small talk because of the multitude of topics you could choose from.

Here’s a list of topics. Be prepared to start or participate in small talk on any of the following:

Holiday Topics:

Have any travel plans for the upcoming holidays?
Does your family have any holiday traditions?
Do you have big plans for the holidays?
Are you a winter person or more of a summer person?

End of Year Topics (Each could be started with “Wow, the year is almost over…”):

Did you see any really great movies this past year?
Did you read any really good books this past year?
What do you think the experts will say was the most significant event of this past year?

Ready to talk business a little bit? Try these starters:

How did you get started in your business?
So, any great success stories from this past year?
What are your big plans for next year?

I’m sure you could brainstorm lots of other potential topics. You don’t have to try and change your personality to become super outgoing. But, with some preparation you can get better at small talk.

Have the confidence to walk up to someone and start a conversation. Just introduce yourself and pick a small talk topic to get started. The personal and business rewards can be enormous.