The smile, eye contact, and handshake are way underrated in the business world. I can track at least $1 million in new business revenue directly back to “humanity.”
My first entrepreneurial venture launched ten years ago after my long career with big brands (Citibank, MasterCard, Reed Exhibitions) and I left the corporate world with NO clients (zero, zip, nada).
My biggest tipping points came as a result of my meeting people live in the “real world” rather than via LinkedIn, Facebook, or some other digital connection. I met a random guy (a web developer) at a networking event…we chatted and hit it off, and he brought me into a pitch meeting with a big prospect. We won the business. Our campaign made it to TV because it was innovative. We got more clients. And so on.
If I didn’t talk to and smile at strangers on a regular basis, my business would have flat-lined long ago. Here are just a few of the places “kismet” occurrences have taken place.
We recently moved to a new office, and I made a point of talking to everyone I meet in the elevator. In just a week, I’ve met some amazing people. Here are some other recommended “human biz dev” habits.
- Schedule at least one “live” business event each week.
- Get yourself on the speaking circuit and be sure to hang out with members of the audience and other speakers.
- Look for relevant industry conferences and trade shows and attend one a month.
- Connect with people in related industries. Even chatting with your competitors can be useful. You never know who’s looking to merge or buy-out another business.
- Schedule at least an hour a week to use LinkedIn and e-mail to connect and follow-up with the people you meet in the real world.
- Never judge by appearances.
- Practice your handshake. No one wants to touch a clammy hand. Go for a little force, but don’t break bones.
- Always carry business cards. It may be old school, but my generation still uses them.
- Smile and make eye contact. Who wants to do business with depressed or distracted people? If you’re naturally shy, work to get over it.
Growing up in a pre-social media era, I had nothing but my phone, my Rolodex, and my brain, and my personality to work with when I got out of school. Perhaps the lack of digital tools forced me to do the “smile and wave” thing.
Of course I have days when I’d love to hide out and Skype rather than schlep out and smile. But the proof is in the profits.