May
21
The Introvert: Networking Tips and Habits for a Little Understood Group
Filed Under Networking | 2 Comments
Confession time.
Are you someone who needs hours alone every day? Who loves quiet conversations about feelings or ideas, and can give a dynamite presentation to a big audience, but seems awkward in groups and defective at small talk?
Are you someone who has to be dragged to parties and then needs the rest of the day to recover? Who growls or scowls or grunts or winces when accosted with happy talk by people who are just trying to be nice?
Do people regard you as “too serious,” or ask “are you okay?” Do people regard you as aloof, arrogant, rude? Redouble their efforts to draw you out?
If you answered yes to these questions, chances are you’re a bona fide introvert.
Science has learned a good deal in recent years about the habits and requirements of introverts. It has even learned, by means of brain scans and lemon juice tests, that introverts process information differently from other people (honest, I am not making this up).
Introverts may be more common than you think. But they are also among the most misunderstood and aggrieved groups in America, possibly the world, probably the universe!
I know. My name is Gary, and I am an introvert.
Oh, for years I denied it. After all, I am not morose or misanthropic. I have good social skills. Usually. I am far from shy. I love long conversations that explore intimate thoughts or passionate interests. But at last I have self-identified and come out to my friends and colleagues.
In fact, as a business owner, it was necessary I come out. For better or worse, connecting and networking makes the world go round.
Most of us have experienced the power of networks. There’s the job found through a friend’s sister’s boyfriend. Or the lifelong partner met through a neighbor’s cousin. Or joint venture launched after a 3 martini lunch.
It applies to all of business though.
Networking Is an Investment, Not a Nuisance
Imagine if you could always find what you needed in just 1 or 2 phone calls. If you are well networked, you probably can. By putting in the time to build your network, you save time when you need to get things done. [I've seen Greg Swann do this exceptionally well through his Bloodhound Blog, which makes for another good reason to start blogging.]
Well networked people don’t have to waste time firing off random emails to people they don’t know, buying leads or industry lists, or sifting through hundreds of pages of the phone book.
However, it seems that the vast majority of networking advice is aimed at extroverts. “Go to networking mixers and meet new people,” the authorities say. “Make cold calls.” “Speak in front of groups.” “Call people up and chat with them about what’s new.” “Dance in your pajamas.”
Excuse me while I barf in a bag. Isn’t there a better way? [Okay, I was the one who said "Dance in your pajamas". But it's still good advice.]
At First, You’ll Stumble Like a Toddler
Someone’s estimated that introverts make up 49 percent of the population. People win elections, set laws, declare victory with percentages lower than that. But guess what? You still have to play by someone else’s rules. And who sets the rules? The Majority. The Extroverts.
That means you still have to get out of bed, put on your shoes [or heels--women only!] and go to places where people gather. Frightening, yeah, I know.
Sometimes you have to start by picking events at random. You spend an hour in a very uncomfortable setting, but you learn what to go to and what to skip. Eventually you find a few people or events that you like.
It may help to recognize that being an introvert is not a disorder, nor is it unusual. Introversion is simply a personality type. And it may be that your shy and timid but STILL a good connector.
We all know people like this. We’ve read about them in The Tipping Point. They are the ones who always know someone who does exactly what you need. And they know it before you even know it. They offer referrals without asking, they arrange lunches, and they love doing it. They are the connectors and they, according to the blog by an introvert for introverts, all have four things in common.
They are self-described introverts. Each one would rather be doing something besides talking to strangers. Somehow they manage to get out and meet people, get to know them, and maintain the relationships.
They are great listeners. Although they are skilled conservationists, it’s mainly because they are such good listeners. Because they understand you and your business, they know just what you need and who you should meet.
They have a plan. They know how many people they need to contact, and they know how often they need to do it. They set aside planning time, create a system, and they put it into their calendar. They don’t leave anything to chance.
They are highly successful. Even though they focus on others, they have all done very well in business, they are highly-respected, and they’re happy. Helping others has its rewards.
As you can see, you can still be shy, you can still cling to your view that ideas are more important than people, you can still rely on your one tumbler of Wild Turkey and Tums BEFORE a cocktail party and still be successful in real estate.
But granted, you still have to play the game, and you still have to play by the rules.
Alternative Networking Tips and Habits for Introverts
Now, many of us have both introverted and extroverted qualities. So you can find alternatives to extroverted networking that can be helpful even if you are not a true introvert.
Over the last 15 years, I’ve made a lot of progress. Here’s what I’ve learned about networking as an introvert.
1. Don’t spend too much time on it.
If you wear yourself out, you won’t ever want to do it. Accept your limitations and just do 1 or 2 events a month. It takes a long time to build these relationships.
2. Invite people to lunch.
Or invite them to coffee or for a beer after work. If you meet a fellow introvert, he is unlikely to do the inviting, so you have to do it. Go figure.
3. Go regularly to things you like.
Years ago my business partner Scott Wood started attending a local Chamber of Commerce. He didn’t know a soul. It was very awkward for him. But he was learning a lot. It took about 3 months before anyone even recognized him and said “hi.” You just have to keep showing up, month after month.
4. Analyze your results.
Introverts are intuitive and analytical. Use that skill. What is working? What isn’t? Where do you get the most bang for your buck?
5. Find the key players in the network.
Don’t find a marketing person, find someone who knows lots of marketing people and then invite that person to lunch. Of course, this takes a long time because it is hard to find the right person.
6. Attend events with a friend.
When planning to attend a networking meeting or social event where you hope to mingle with prospective clients, invite a friend or colleague to go with you. And agree that you will help each other to meet new people.
7. Seek out structure.
I abhor mixers but enjoy meeting people in more structured environments like workshops. You may find that it’s easier to talk about yourself when there is a specific time allotted for just that purpose.
8. Avoid the crowds.
Mingling at events is not an environment where I do my best. Instead of trying to meet people in group settings, do your networking one-on-one. Arrange to meet with people for coffee or lunch to get to know them better.
9. Prepare what to say.
Whether you are attending an event or placing a follow-up call, most introverts find it helpful to plan out in advance what they want to talk about. I know I do. This type of preparation gives you time to reflect on what you wish to express and explore the best way to say it.
10. Write instead of call.
It’s true that it’s usually more effective to contact prospective clients by phone than by email or letter. But if calling makes you uncomfortable enough that you tend to simply avoid it, go ahead and write instead. Besides, its easier to call someone when you’ve got your foot in the door via an email or letter. “Hi, I was wondering if you got my email?”
11. Promote by publishing.
The focused, reflective nature of many introverts makes them excellent writers. Writing and publishing articles, a blog, reports and studies, or even a book can attract many prospective clients and boost your credibility.
When clients come to you already acquainted with your work instead of you approaching them as a stranger, marketing conversations become more relaxed and intimate–just what most introverts like.
Conclusion
According to C J Hayden, there’s one area of marketing at which introverts often shine. While extroverts typically enjoy meeting new people and find it relatively effortless to fill their marketing pipeline, they don’t always do well at following up with the people they meet. Introverts, on the other hand, frequently excel at building strong relationships over time.
If you focus your marketing on staying in touch with people and getting to know them better instead of continually trying to seek out new contacts, you may find that your introverted style of marketing works better than what the extroverts are doing after all.
What do you think? Are you an introvert and do you have any tips I haven’t mentioned and would like to share? Go ahead and leave a comment.
And if you like what you read, subscribe to the Real Estate Marketing Blog.
Related Articles
How to Open the Vault of Anyone’s Mind
11 Ways to Be the Most Irresistible Person at the Party
Nov
23
Black Friday Link Mashup: Blog Strategy Happy
Filed Under Networking, Strategy, blogs | Leave a Comment
Outside the obligatory first link on Black Friday by Seth Godin, this post is about all the nice links that will help you with your real estate blog strategy.
[And by the way, happy shopping!]
Seth Godin: Create panic by making your customers uncomfortable.
Are you using the right content development strategy for your blog?
I’ve previously talked how content needs to capture attention, a scarce asset in the today’s accelerated information economy. [via doshdosh]
Value Blogging In: Less Writing, Higher Quality
How I Built 10,000 Links in 3 Weeks
Prison Break: Lessons on Blogging
Do You Have a Blog Commenting Strategy?
40 Observations about My 2 Year Old Blog by Teresa Boardman
6.5 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Blog
Writing Good Headlines for Regular Readers, Search Engines and Social Media
What Is the Future of the Real Estate Blog?
Do you have any links about blog strategy you’d like to share? If so, pop them in the comments below. Thanks and hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Nov
21
Naked Conversations: The Lynchpin to Your Real Estate Marketing Blog
Filed Under Networking, Real Estate Marketing | 2 Comments
Sorry to disappoint you.
This is not a pitch for a nudist colony, a social network for swingers or a therapy method for “heavy talkers”.
It’s a pitch to get you “naked.” That is, to get your blog “naked.”
In 1999 the Cluetrain Manifesto declared:
These markets are conversations. Their members communicate in language that is natural, open, honest, direct, funny and often shocking. Whether explaining or complaining, joking or serious, the human voice is unmistakably genuine. It can’t be faked.
Here’s my question to you: Are you faking your blog?
Are you natural, open, honest, direct, funny and often shocking on your real estate blog?
The Essential Benefits of Real Estate Blogging
In the breezy book Naked Conversations, Robert Scoble and coauthor Shel Israel argue that every business can benefit from smart “naked” blogging, whether the company’s a small-town real estate agent or a multinational fashion house.
“If you ignore the blogosphere… you won’t know what people are saying about you. You can’t learn from them, and they won’t come to see you as a sincere human who cares about your business and its reputation.”
In a nutshell, blogging is one of the best ways to communicate with your market. Better than postcards, email newsletters, flyers, magazine articles, weekly radio shows.
How are blogs better than these communication channels?
There are six key differences between blogging and any other communications channel.
1. Publishable. Anyone can publish a blog.You can do it cheaply and post often. In addition, each posting is instantly available worldwide.
2. Searchable. Through search engines, people will find blogs by subject, by author, or both. The more you post, the more findable you become.
3. Social. The blogosphere is one big conversation. Interesting topical conversations move from site to site, linking to each other. Through blogs, people with shared interests build relationships unrestricted by geographic borders.
4. Viral. Information often spreads faster through blogs than via a news service. No form of viral marketing matches the speed and efficiency of a blog.
5. Syndicatable. By clicking on an icon, you can get free “home delivery” of RSS- enabled blogs into your e-mail software. This process is considerably more efficient than the last- generation method of visiting one page of one web site at a time looking for changes.
6.Linkable. Because each blog can link to all others, every blogger has access to the tens of millions of people who visit the blogosphere every day.
Of course you can find each of these elements elsewhere. And none is, in itself, all that remarkable.
But in final assembly, they are the benefits of the most powerful two-way Internet communications tool so far developed.
However, bloggers and sophisticated readers of blogs will sniff you out as a fake if you lie, hide, withhold or micromanage information.
Successful blogging is about being off-the-cuff, transparent and off-the-record so to speak. Even if you sin.
What to Do If You Sin and Suffer
In a New York Times interview, David Neeleman, founder and CEO of JetBlue, said he was “humiliated and mortified” with how JetBlue customers were treated and how his organization melted down.
Then he went onto tick off a number of problems with his company, including the low-cost model he developed.
Did you catch that?
He publicly aired corporate problems.
Using a blog would have been a better communications tool. But remember that like a hammer, a blog is just a tool.
JetBlue sinned. It suffered. But it publicly repented. And the guy at the top probably ignored a whole bevy of lawyers telling him not to admit any kind of culpability.
This is transparency. And it is a case study for how a CEO, politician or real estate agent can use it.
Naturally, you shouldn’t wait until you’ve embarrassed yourself, your family, your clients to start using a blog. You should start before that.
And you should remain open, natural, honest and transparent. Telling the truth is the curious secret to getting people to believe you.
In fact, airing out your dirty laundry makes everything else you say more believable.
Just ask David Neeleman.
In July 2007, JetBlue reported that its second-quarter revenue increased from the first quarter. In fact, JetBlue was one of the few major airlines to post a profit in that quarter.
Sep
24
What Real Estate Agents Should Know about Twitter
Filed Under Networking, Real Estate Prospecting Ideas | 1 Comment
While not for everyone, Twitter is a new communication tool that provides the real estate agent several opportunities to connect with online communities.
Maybe.
A tool embraced by the early adopter, the real estate agent using Twitter can benefit from thought leadership, connection to the influencers, additional message reach, access to mobile communicators, real-time communication. But more importantly, the opportunity to build relationships through conversations.
But here’s the deal: this tool is probably only good for those who may already have a blogging strategy or are high-communication individuals. Before you decide to use Twitter, make sure it fits in your marketing plan.
And consider this: although there is no formal data, it’s likely audience and user base consist of early-adopter social media folks and influencers, with an average age of 30-45.
What is Twitter?
Twitter is really much like blogging, but on a miniature scale. The character limit is 140, which requires that users simplify their message.
Twitter has social network features, so users can add or remove friends, for example.
Think of Twitter as a new instant-messaging tool: users can blast messages to their community of clients or prospects, send private messages, or search.
Twitter, till now, has been for the highly engaged, early-adopter, pro-technology user. It’s highly likely that these users participate in other forms of online publishing and communication, like blogging, Facebook, and mobile activity.
What to Publish?
Having in mind the 140-character limit, users are publishing the following types of content:
What are you doing?: Users will tweet information related to them, from “Liddy baptized at 9am” to “taking Mali out for a walk,” or even questions like “what should I do in Vancouver?”
Responding to others: Members within a connected network (this means you are following them and you are following them, and this is easy as pie to do: search, find and click “follow”) can respond to each other using the reply symbol “@”—such as “@Vancouver is a great city. You need to visit….”
Links: Drop a link to an interesting article about your market or your most recent blog post.
And dig this: when your URLs are 130 characters are shorter, Twitter will automatically convert them to a TinyURL. However, TinyURL pushes people through a Preview Page first so you can “safely” see the full URL before proceeding to the target page.
In my opinion, this is annoying. This is annoying because all your friends aren’t probably going to push you to a pornographic or unsuitable page. Use Urltea instead when putting URLs in Tweeter from a PC.
Here’s What You Need to Know
Savvy Twitter users realize that effective communications isn’t about just pushing content to readers. They also start conversations with other people.
This is not just a broadcast tool, it’s also a conversation tool. That means you can reply to followers using the “@” symbol, and engage in dialogue.
In essence, use this tool as a global chat room: respond to others, build relationships, and listen in. Like blogging, the rule of anti-marketing marketing is required for success: engage your community.
Also, Twitter is “opt-in,” meaning that users choose to “follow” a twitter account. Abuse that good will and followers will unsubscribe.
Getting Started
Check out Rafe Needleman’s (CNET) “Newbie Guide to Twitter” or watch this video. For the rules of engagement read Brian Oberkirch’s “Advanced Twitter: Don’t Tweet Like A n00b.”
So, what’s the best way to learn? Experiment. Try creating a personal account before deploying a brand account. Also, creating a Twitter account might be a good idea if you don’t have a blog. It’s a super easy, simple first step.
But first, evaluate whether it’s right for your audience. My best guess is that 20-40 somethings in urban areas are your most likely candidates. If that doesn’t describe your market, you might be a lonely Twitter user.
Another thing: at the moment, Twitter is not an SEO strategy. That means there is no value to your website or search rankings when using Twitter.
Sep
17
In the following weeks I’m going to zero in on some of the Web 2.0 technology for real estate agents. Each post will aggeregate all of the favorite links out there on each application.
This week, Facebook.
The definitive post on Facebook and real estate: Marketing real estate on Facebook. Isn’t this the bottom line?
The future of real estate marketing through social networking is now. (via.)
Facebook could make or break real estate.Or Joel Burslem thinks.
If you haven’t heard yet: Facebook deliver authentic consumers, rather than faceless “uniques” and can do so in specific niches.
It was an exclusive in April of this year: Facebook may launch local classifieds.
Using Facebook as a Real Estate Collection Source. Another Burslem screed.
The web’s most comprehensive marketing and advertising engine for real estate professionals, Point2, creates Facebook real estate app.
Drew Meyers at Zwillow says you can add zestimates to Facebook.
Just for grins: Creepy discovery on Facebook.
In conclusion: hypertargeted advertising is the holy grail of online advertising. Social networks like Facebook and social media can deliver that more accurately than a portal or destination site.
So, do you use Facebook? If so, is it all its cracked up to be? Or is it just trumped up hype by tech pundits and fringe agents?
Looking forward to hearing from you!
If you haven’t already, subscribe to the real estate marketing Blog by rss feed or email.
Sep
5
Are Social Networks Worth It?
Filed Under Networking | 13 Comments
Question: can you be without a social online network and survive in real estate?
Recently I asked you to help me out in a real estate marketing survey…and you came to my aid.
Nothing really surprised me too much, except that everybody seems to still be using newspapers. I mean, using newspapers as much as they use direct mail, as much as they use online media.
Are newspapers even remotely helpful? Profitable? What kind of response do you get?
I mean, to me, it seems people don’t read newspapers anymore. I could be wrong. [Have been often in the past.]
But really that’s not what I wanted to write about in this post. Well, it is indirectly related…
Here’s what really surprised me:
Almost 70% of you do not use any kind of social network [Facebook, LinkedIn or Myspace].
For some reason I was under the impression that most real estate agents had some kind of social network set up. Boy, was I wrong. Now…
I guess my question is: why not?
LinkedIn, for example, offers access to a prospect base of 3,800 people…if you only have 3 contacts. [Each contact of course has to have 16+ contacts themselves. This is the theory.] It’s a phenomenal way to power your career for a mere eleven minutes it takes to set up the account and add your Outlook or gmail database. Or Yahoo, hotmail, etc.
Outside of the professional perks, it’s a great way to find colleagues from old jobs or high school.
So what’s the scoop? Why haven’t you created a LinkedIn account or Facebook?
Is it fear? Just didn’t know about it? Don’t think they are worth it? Social networks haven’t validated their worth?
I’m truly curious.
If you haven’t already, subscribe to the real estate marketing Blog today either by email or just click on the big button to get the feed:
Sep
3
Link Happy on Labor Day
Filed Under Networking, Real Estate Marketing | Leave a Comment
I know you will either be on the lake or the links on Labor Day, so this post seemed proper.
See you on Tuesday!
Massive depository of links on real estate blogging at the Future of real estate marketing blog.
Landing good Internet leads. Inman TV.
Networking: Is online friendshiplike the terrestrial, real-life kind? And Steve Rubel on how the web changes our view of friendship.
By the way: how would you respond when you discover an online friend unexpectedly dies?
Exceptional–no, great!–moments in marketing. (Dig this: calling this marketing is incorrect. It is advertising, which is a function of marketing. Fun and nostalgic nonetheless.)
Short video on the future of search engine marketing. Two long videos on a completely different view of the future of search engine marketing.
The dangers of digg self-submission.
A must for you web DIYer’s: free SEO tools from SEOMoz.
Finally: how to get 6,312 subscribers to your business blog in one day.
Aug
22
Work 25 Leads in 2 Hours with These 9 Tips
Filed Under Networking, Real Estate Prospecting Ideas | 2 Comments
25 leads is more than most people produce in 2 weeks.
Even 2 months.
However, there is one situation where you can generate 25 leads in 2 hours. . . with a martini in one hand, a smile plastered across your face and a stack of cards in your other hand.
The stack I’m talking about is full of business cards.
That’s right. . . I’m talking about networking events.
The country club. The Rotary Club. The Chamber of Commerce.
All fabulous places to meet many new people. And have a blast to boot.
Here are nine essential tips you must use to make any networking event a smash.
- Arrive early. Before people are engaged in conversations. It’s easier to start a conversation than it is to break into one.
- Zero in on the wallflowers. You never know what kind of potential is lurking around those shy, quiet types.
- Shake hands firmly.
- Wear something out of the ordinary…a top hat or bright orange scarf. When you follow up with the leads mention, “I was the one wearing the top hat.” That will ring a bell.
- Pick something up. Anything. A tray of drinks or hors d’oeuvres. “Hey, would you like one?” is an excellent way to introduce yourself. And, “Got to keep passing” is an excellent reason to move on to the next person. This trick will help you to keep conversations short.
- Memorize your elevator speech.
- Be happy…regardless of whether or not you had a tough day. People want to work with upbeat, outgoing people.
- Don’t drink too much. Sober and in control, you’ll stand out.
Stay until the end. The later you stay, the more contacts.
Jul
27
How to Open the Vault of Anyone’s Mind
Filed Under Networking, Real Estate Listing Tips | 4 Comments
You ever been to a networking event trying to engage a prospect event and when that person takes their eyeglasses off and sets them on the table?
Do you realize what that means?
How about when you are at a listing appointment and the seller leans forward and puts his chin in his hand?
Do you know what that means?
Ever see a master locksmith at work? It looks like magic, doesn’t it? He plays with the lock, listens, hears things you don’t see, feels things you don’t feel. And opens the lock. Effortlessly.
Master communicators are the same way. They see things, hear things, feel things that helps them unlock the combination to anyone’s mind. And if you do that elegantly and attentively, you can do the same.
According to NLP techniques like I’ve discussed in the past, body language, eye movement and voice tonality give us cues about people’s thoughts, mental strategies and desires.
Did you know visual people speak in quick bursts, usually high-pitched, nasal or strained. Did you know feelers speak in low, deep and slow speech? Did you know an even, clear speaker is someone who responds to audio clues?
Auditory people tend to respond to you when you speak slowly, more rhythmic and measured. Words mean a lot to them. They respond to things like “That sounds right to me” or ” I can hear what you’re saying” or “Everything clicks.”
Visual people see the world in pictures. And because they are trying to keep up with the pictures in their mind, they speak rapidly. They don’t care how they get it out. They appreciate visual metaphors. Explanations on how things look to a person, patterns and whether something looks bright or dark.
A person who feels, or is kinesthetic, tend to speak even slower than audio people. They respond to voices that are deep. They appreciate hearing metaphors like “grasping for something concrete.” Things are “heavy” and “intense” and they need to “get in touch” with things. They say things like ” I’m reaching for an answer, but I haven’t got a hold of it yet.”
Body language also gives us clues about a person.
When a person breathes high in their chest, their visual. Even breathing in the whole chest, audio. Deep breathing low in the stomach means they are feelers, kinesthetic.
You can also read skin tone and head position.
Visual thinkers tend to have paler faces. A flushed face indicates a feeler. When someone’s head is up, they are thinking visually. If it is cocked or balanced, he’s audio. If the head is down or relaxed, he’s a feeler.
Eye movement is another indicator of how a person thinks.
Someone looking down and to the right is typically a feeler. Audio people tend to look straight to the right with half a smile or to the left with a full smile or down to the left with a frown. Visual’s do it a little bit differently. They may look directly at you and smile, eyes wide. Or up to the left with a smirk.
When speaking to a prospect, observe their voices, their pacing, their tonality, skin color, head position and eye movement. Use the technique of complimenting or grab and pass to break the ice. Then ask general, open-ended questions to get them to talk about themselves.
If you can get them to talk about themselves, you will have no problem figuring out whether they are audio, visual or kinesthetic. And when you figure this out, start to respond in like manner. If you do this, people will start to like you and open up even further and your next step (getting permission to give them something of value) is an easy step away.
So even with minimal communication you can get a clear unmistakable cue about how a person’s mind works and what sort of messages he uses and, most importantly, responds to.
[By the way: when someone takes off their eyeglasses and sets them on the table means they have stopped listening to you. You need to stop and listen to them to find out what you need to do to get them back on track. But if someone leans forward and puts their chin in their palm means they want to hear more.]
I know this may be a lot to process, but take it one step at a time and practice. And let me know if these things work for you. Or if you have something else I missed. I’m always very interested in hearing from you.
Subscribe to the real estate marketing Blog today!
Jul
11
Networking is fundamental to the real estate business.
Here’s a rapid fire list that will help you feel like the magnetic center of any room…without having to resort to a wardrobe malfunction…
1. Dance in your pajamas. Before the party, burn nervous energy by exercising or dancing.
2. Get into an irresistable state of mind. On your way to the party, visualize your most recent accomplishment–snagging two listings in one weekend, opening a new community center for children. Set your mood so that you are relaxed, energized and radiating confidence.
3. Look cool, but act warm. Dress sophisticated, but treat everyone like your favorite cousin.
4. Instead of an opening line, try a compliment. “Hey, I love that tie. I was wondering where you bought it.”
5. Talk food. Or football. Men appreciate a woman who knows her sports and women admire a man who likes to cook. Point: talk to people’s interest, not yours.
6. Be the only one at the party not drinking. By mid-evening you’ll seem intelligent and poised.
7. Schmooze with integrity. 3 musts: eye contact, responses that show you are listening and a genuine smile.
8. Break personal space rules. Invite warmth and friendliness by standing a little closer. Pulling away suggests you are aloof and would rather be somewhere else.
9. Grab something and pass it. Whether it’s a tray of appetizers or drinks, passing something out will give you a reason to approach someone and also give you a way out: “Oops, got to keep going.”
10. Speak up. Be the first to toast the host for a wonderful party.
11. Put your soul out there. Confess embarrassment. Risk self-exposure. Tell a joke, even if you are really bad at it. When people see the real you, off-the-charts charm follows.
Have a great tip you’d like to share? Please, share it with us in the comment section!