Why Visuals WorkWe live in a world that privileges the visual. 20 years ago, the national press looked very different. Today we have colour photos all over both tabloids and broadsheets. The Internet is primarily an image-led medium (Youtube is the world’s second most used search engine).
Networking, by contrast, is much more auditory. We listen to, rather than see, information. If you as a networker can present your business in both auditory and visual form, you have a great opportunity to grab and keep people’s attention.
How To Use Visuals In NetworkingOne way to accomplish this is to have a prop that represents your business. You take it along to every networking meeting, and people soon start to associate you with your prop. If your business name contains the name of a physical object (eg Starfish Design), take a model or picture of that object with you.
Another effective strategy is to take something that you sell or offer – if you are a mobile phone dealer, take a handset along.
Have you got a really persuasive statistic you are including in your pitch? Make a small placard with for example 46% emblazoned all over it. Your audience will all notice the number, and immediately engage with what you say because they will want to find out what it means.
Is any part of your pitch linked to current affairs? Take along today’s newspaper and use the relevant headline to link to your USP.
These are just a few ways you can increase the power of your networking pitch and raise your profile within your local group through the magic of visuals.
Hi John
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely spot on the key to being seen and remembered is to be a little different. We can all fall into the trap of just standing up and saying what we want people to buy or recommend us on to their networks but it can very easily become very samey.
Using visual aides is a very simple and effective way to stand out from the rest.