“Look, I know we’ve just met, but would you like me to become your new bookkeeper?” 

Is that approach likely to work?  If your answer is ‘yes’, you’ve got detention. 

Patience is the key to building the relationships that lead to business.  If you start rushing someone for an agreement or sale they will feel like meat while regarding you as a carnivore.  So don’t – your chances of success are minimal.  At your next networking event, scan the room and look for women with their arms folded in front or those constantly looking away from the person talking to them.  It may just be they are with a carnivore and want to politely escape. 

Perhaps it’s better to gently educate the women you are talking to about who you are and what you do instead of trying to sell yourself or your services.  While doing so, be careful not to begin every sentence with, ‘I.’  Why?  Because you end up looking like a Me, Me, Me person.  Who wants to do business with that girl?  Instead, try these approaches… 

“Our clients benefit because of our huge range…” 

“Our clients appreciate our 24/7 availability…” 

“Our clients enjoy the advantages of our expertise…” 

It’s a great way to plant the seed in people’s minds that your clients come first.  This is a powerful message to transfer to any of your prospective clients because it demonstrates that you are all about them.  And don’t forget, seeds need time to germinate.  Following this, some water and sunshine are helpful so arrange another time for a catch-up to further your discussions. 

So next time you’re networking the room, be prepared to invest the time required to build relationships and communicate in the selfless manner that supports this.  If you do, you’ll find all the other herbivores are willing to graze alongside you.   

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