Business Mixers Offer Place to ‘Mix’ It Up

“Eventually everything connects – people, ideas, objects. The quality of the connections is the key to quality per se.” – Charles Eames
The Crescenta Valley Chamber of Commerce wants to help you make connections. On Dec. 12, our monthly business mixer is being held at U.S. Bank at 2649 Foothill Blvd. in the Marketplace/Ralph’s shopping center. We usually have about 50-60 business professionals at our mixers and it is a great place to make connections.

Our mixers start at 6 p.m. and make sure to bring plenty of business cards; however experts say to not concentrate on passing out business cards but to focus on listening. At the website, examiner.com, they offer advice on how to get the most from business mixers.

According to Liz Ainsworth, a small business communications coach based in Silicon Valley, “Most people focus on the features of their product or service, but they are not telling other people what they can do for them.”

According to Ainsworth, the real goal should be to generate future meetings with the people you talk with at such gatherings. “Very often, without thinking about it, most people are at Level 1 in their conversations,” Ainsworth said. “They are focused on themselves so they jump into a conversation with their own experience of what the other person is talking about. They are looking for a connection but are not really focused on the needs of the other person.”

The way to get beyond that, to Level 2, is to actually focus on the needs of the other person. “Once you can learn to listen to the other person’s needs you can answer them back in a way that addresses their needs, such as repeating their own words back to them, using their language. You are building a connection without ever having to find an experience that is similar,” Ainsworth said. She adds that people rarely get the feeling that someone is sincerely interested in them. “When they feel a deeper connection with you, they trust you and want to do business with you,” Ainsworth said.

Another benefit of this deeper approach to communication is that you can tailor your talk about your product or service to specifically address their needs.

“It’s just so much more of a comfortable way to do business,” Ainsworth said.

So please join us on Dec. 12 and celebrate the holidays with us at U.S. Bank while you focus on getting to Level 2 of your business connections.

Important CV Chamber dates: Dec. 12 – Business mixer at U.S. Bank; Jan. 9 –Business mixer at Ocean View Bar & Grill; Jan. 10 – Installation luncheon.

Please contact our office for more details on any event. How to reach us: (818) 248-4957/ crescentachamber@aol.com / www.LaCrescenta.org / 3131 Foothill Blvd., Ste. D.

  julia rabago