Valuable networking lessons from the buffalo hunt

The Native Americans hunted the buffalo, an animal which provided virtually everything they needed to survive.  But what does hunting buffaloes have to do with professional networking?

Buffalo hunting provided meat for food, bones for tools, hides for shelter, horns for kitchen utensils, fat for oil in lamps and much, much more.  Legends have grown out of the Native Americans’ ability to make use of all of the parts of the buffalo with very little waste.

There is a phrase that I often refer to when discussing goals at a networking event: Use the whole buffalo. My guess is that when people began hunting buffalo and other large animals, the main goal was to find food. However, if food was the only outcome of the hunt, they would have been wasting opportunities to create homes, tools and fuel.  It’s much the same way when business owners attend networking events.

The main goal most business owners have when attending networking events is to find new customers. While this is the ultimate goal for a business, the reality is that very few new customers are found at networking events. Why? For a person to be a good prospect for your business, they (a) have a specific problem you can solve, (b) they are thinking about that problem at the moment they meet you, and (c) they have a desire to solve the problem immediately. There’s a slim chance those three elements line up at the right time and place when you encounter this person for the first time.

I want you to view networking events in a different light. I want you to “use the whole buffalo” when you attend networking events. You should have a variety of objectives when attending networking events. Those objectives can be defined by the types of people you want to meet:

Prospects (for your products or services) – The ultimate goal is to find new customers but, as I mentioned above, this is often pretty difficult to do.

Prospects (for products or services provided by your referral partners) – You should always be on the lookout for people with needs that can be satisfied by other business owners you know and trust. When you connect someone in need with someone that has a solution for them, you become a connector who will be remembered and will likely receive future referral business from both parties.

New Referral Partners – Try to meet other business owners that operate in the same ecosystem as you do. If you own a painting company, you should be trying to meet carpenters, plumbers, electricians and other tradespeople that need trusted painting partners.  And, you might find some great partners for future projects, to boot.

Existing Customers – Running into a happy existing client at a networking event is a fantastic win for you. They are walking, talking billboards for your company. They will likely introduce you with a personal testimonial to other people at the event: “This is Mat. He’s my painter! And, his crews do great work.”  If you run into unhappy customers at many networking events, you have issues that better networking skills won’t solve!

Organizers – Try to meet the person who organizes the networking event. Arrive a bit early, introduce yourself and offer to help them get things set up. They will remember you and will most certainly introduce you to other participants.  When the organizer of the networking event introduces you to someone else, they are given you their stamp of approval.

Members of Other Networking Groups – If you are attending a Chamber of Commerce event, make sure you ask the people you meet what other networking events they attend. There are often hidden gems in the networking space. Many areas have Chambers of Commerce, Merchants Associations, Local Business Alliances, and a multitude of structured, professional networking groups. Some of these other events may provide you better environments to find prospects for your particular product or service. Try them out and share them with other business owners who may benefit by joining you at the events.

Members of Trade Associations – Most improvement-oriented business owners are continually sharpening their skills and they often belong to trade associations where they meet with their peers and learn best practices for their industry. Some examples include the PDCA, NARI and IFDA. If you operate in these types of industries, you should join a trade association to learn how to grow your business from folks who have already succeeded. If you’re not part of the industry, you may find value in joining as an “associate” member. For example, if you own a junk hauling business, you may want to join a Real Estate trade association. Real estate agent are always looking for help in cleaning out junk left behind by past tenants and home owners.  These agents would rather do business with someone who is part of their association.  If you provide professional services – consulting, finance, bookkeeping, etc – you can offer to give free seminars on your area of expertise for the association’s members. This establishes you as an expert that can help them deal with issues that require specialized knowledge or skills and, very often, they become new clients for you.

What other types of people have you met at networking events that have provided opportunity for your business to grow?