By Suzanne Stevens - Ignite Excellence

You’ve got a drink in your left hand and a stack of business cards tucked away in your pocket. The room is full of sales leads and it looks like everyone is talking to someone except you. And then you see her. She’s the national IT manager that everyone wants on their client list. How do you make an effective connection and open up a sales lead?

First of all, take a deep breath and remember: you won’t make a sale over a canapé. But you can make a connection and set up a meeting set for a sit-down, face-to-face discussion that could lead to a sale.

How do you do that? Remember A.I.D.A. Not Aida the opera, but A.I.D.A. as in Attention, Interest, Desire and Action – the four key steps to successfully introducing yourself and landing that important first meeting. But like Verdi’s opera, this is a performance and to be successful, you need a score – a mental roadmap of roughly what you plan to say.

Attention: Now walk over to your target, briefly introduce yourself and then give the other person the chance to do the same. While you’re getting the other person’s attention, they are forming their first impression, so be friendly, approachable and don’t forget to smile. You want to attract positive attention.

Focus on the other person. When you’re networking, it’s an opportunity to learn before you consult. Be careful not to turn this into a conversation all about you or your company. Let the other person talk.

Capture the other person’s interest by saying something that is relevant to them or their company. For example, “I saw the story on your company in the newspaper the other day,” or “I think we both know Joe Smith from Acme Company.”

Interest: Next, generate interest in you and your company by finding something about your organization that relates to them. For example, “It’s interesting that you’re looking at giving your sales reps portable sales solutions. We just finished helping a client retool sales support system to make reps more mobile.” Again, you’re not selling yet. You’re demonstrating you have knowledge and resources that may be relevant to her.

Interest works both ways, so be sure to show your interest in them. Find out more about them and their company. Ask questions. Keep it conversational; this isn’t an interrogation. Take mental notes because you will need this information later on. Learn first and position your organization second.

Listen, be genuine and most importantly, show that you are truly interested in what that person has to say. Most people are happy to talk about themselves when they’ve got a captivated audience.

Desire: You need to create desire by briefly demonstrating how you, your product or your organization are a good fit for the other person’s company. Don’t jump to the conclusion that you know what sales solution they need yet. But tantalize her with a taste of how you could help them. Provide a tangible example of your success such as “We’ve worked with clients to reduce the costs of their sales systems by an average 45%...”

Action: If this person is a decision-maker that you should be dealing with, don’t finish the conversation without getting a commitment to receive a phone call to arrange a meeting. Suggest a day to get together and explore whether there is an opportunity to work together. Keep the expectations light. The first meeting will be a chance to further explore their objectives.

In the course of this chatting you want to have determined if this is the right contact for your business. If not, can she tell you who is? Have you given this person a reason to give you a name? And, if you do have a name, can you use this person as a referral? Some final checks: did you get their business card? Giving away your business car and not getting theirs gives up control. You don’t want to have to wait for them to call you. Getting their contact information ensures you can contact them too, keeping you in control.

You’re back in the office, and you’ve shown that you’re a master at A.I.D.A. in a networking situation. Now, use it in the follow-up call.