Members of City Tattersalls Toastmasters Club in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, share some steps that work for them.
Mike Kano-McCallum, DTM:
Make it known you are a (potentially) great addition to their network. Do this by posting on LinkedIn or other social media regularly. Many people don’t comment, but they view what you post about. It’s much easier to open a conversation with someone who has heard about or from you before.
Rachel Beaney:
Build on long-term professional relationships; they bear more fruit over time. When you get to know people and build trust, they are more keen to learn about other things you offer, aside from what they already know about you. People are always interested to hear about a better way to do things or ways to expand their businesses if it comes from someone they know and trust. It’s a win-win approach that helps grow their business and yours.
Stephanie Giannis, DTM:
At Toastmasters, you learn to collaborate with people from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and opinions. Use that skill to network and get along with people who are quite different from you. They can introduce you to people whom you otherwise might not meet, and you may learn a thing or two about diversity as well.