There are plenty of articles on “how to build strategic relationships online” these days because that seems to be everyone’s focus. But there are still times where offline relationships are more valuable to your business. You don’t have to choose between offline or online but as people become busier and busier and spend most of their time buried in their phones, the need to cultivate offline relationships should be explored. In case you’ve forgotten, this is article will tell you how you can create offline connections in an online world.
Offline versus Online
Again, you needn’t choose one over the other. There’s value in both. Online relationships can help you to connect with people you may otherwise never have met. These relationships can span the globe and overcome the social structure. You may never have gotten the opportunity to work with serial entrepreneurs or CEOs but you can reach out to them on social media and create viable relationships online through bypassing the gatekeepers that these folks usually have.
But they’re also benefits to offline relationships you will never receive from your online ones. Offline relationships can provide:
- Physical solutions to problems such as picking something up at your business after hours
- Important body language clues to how someone is feeling
- A greater sense of trust because you’ve made eye contact and spent time with them
- More opportunity to dig deeper into the relationship as you’re standing in front of one another
In online relationships, some people will forget about their connections when they unplug. You know them only through your device so when you are not attached to it–or when they are not attached to it–you may not be thinking about them.
Whereas, in an offline relationship, there’s more of a chance for a lasting impression because there’s a physical component and a chance of running into someone in real life.
While strategic relationships of any kind, online or offline, benefit your business many people are concentrating on the online these days and forgetting about important things like in-person networking.
Why Making Offline Connections Is so Difficult These Days
This article seems kind of silly, doesn’t it?
Why do we need to tell people how to connect with one another in person?
Isn’t that something we learn to do very early on in our business careers?
While the answer to that is a resounding yes, you should have, today people are busy being busy. What would have been opportune chances to meet people in the past are now covered up because people are on their phones when they wait. For instance, let’s assume you attend a business event to hear a speaker. Your secondary desire behind hearing what the speaker has to say is to meet other professionals in the community. But instead, you notice that the people sitting at tables waiting for the speaker are looking at their phones.
It’s hard to build relationships with people you aren’t even looking at you. But you need to draw them out and we have some ideas on how to do that.
Understand Why They’re on their Phone
First of all, most people are not paralyzingly antisocial if they’re at a business event. But what most of us don’t like is to sit alone and look like that kid at the high school cafeteria table with no one to sit with. So we pop out our phones and stare intently at the important stuff going on on Facebook.
That way we don’t look lonely. We look busy.
But most people would gladly participate in a conversation if they thought someone else was interested.
You may not want to interrupt someone who’s on their phone. That’s a good point if they’re having a conversation or frantically typing an email. But if you can clearly see they’re on Facebook or Instagram or just scrolling through exercising their thumb, feel free to use a funny opener like, “Anything I need to know about those girls in the cat meme?” or “How’s baby Yoda doing?”
Insert whatever hot video or meme is being talked about on social media at the time. Most people will laugh and look up from their phones.
If they don’t, that’s okay. There are likely other people at the event who are looking for someone human to talk to.
Bring Something Fun
Bringing a fun promotional item with you is a good ice breaker especially if it’s an item that people would enjoy playing with. Sit down at your table, make conversation, and then offer them your branded item. You can even share a solution to a common problem with them. For example, I attended a conference where a man had branded lip balm with him. When he sat down he announced how dry his lips get at conferences especially when it’s cold outside. Then he asked if anyone would like one of his tubes of lip balm. We all happily took them.
I often bring branded sunglasses with me to events. Bring something that works for your company and your brand.
Pose a Question About Something You Observed
Here’s another benefit to in-person exchange. You can watch the person at your table and notice things like what they’re wearing. Then use those items in conversation. An easy way to do this is to compliment them on something they’re wearing or carrying. You can ask them where they got something or simply tell them how much you like the item or how it looks nice on them.
There are very few people who will ignore a compliment. Most people will thank you and put their phones down. You can then strike up a conversation with them.
Use Online to Build Offline
At these events, most people are wearing name tags. Assuming that’s the case and you can see the tag of one of your tablemates pull out your phone do some quick social media research on them. Take a look at their social media profiles or quickly scan their business website or social media pages. By doing this you’re learning some very important background about them.
They’re on their phones so they don’t notice what you’re doing. Knowing what you do about them, now you can quickly engage them on a topic that is of interest to them. Instead of asking them what they do, you could ask them if they have any pets knowing full well their dog is a light of their life. Personalizing the conversation to a topic they’re already keen about is a great way to cut out the boring parts of getting to know someone.
Yes, people do like to talk about themselves but most people have an area that they like to talk about. Telling 20 people over the course of two hours what they do for a living can be really exhausting but talking about what they’re passionate about is a thrilling way to get to know someone on a much deeper level.
Bring a Power Bank
This is like a secret weapon when it comes to establishing offline relationships in an online world. People love their online tools until they run out of battery. When that little red bar shows up on our phones, we panic. We worry we won’t be able to make it home without a charge.
If you show up with a power bank or you have several extra chargers with you (assuming there’s an empty power supply nearby) you can make fast friends with people at events. It’s funny to think that by powering their online world you can create powerful offline relationships.
If you drive down the street, assuming your eyes aren’t on your own phone–and they better not be if you’re driving–you’ll see everyone from pedestrians to drivers looking at their phones. Creating offline relationships these days is a challenge because most people aren’t even making eye contact. They are completely unaware of the world around them. But offline relationships are essential to business. If you find yourself at an event where everyone else is online there are several strategies you can use to bring them back and get them to engage with you to build the relationship offline.
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