3 easy steps for meeting HNW prospects

You might be involved in the community, a guest at a wedding or at a college alumni event. Whatever it may be, you have opportunities to meet many people, including high-net-worth (HNW) individuals. Are you ready to make the most of those opportunities?

Meeting new people is easier than you think, and it doesn’t have to be scary. Here are three steps that simplify the process.

Step 1: Introduction. You see someone across the room you recognize and would like to meet them. There are at least three ways you can make this happen.

• Get a proper introduction. Look around for someone you know who may also know that person and ask if they would introduce you.
• The friend in common. Walk up to the person and mention they do not know you, but you have a friend in common. Mention the name of the person you wished was there to introduce you. You can talk about how you both know your mutual friend.
• The compliment. Find something nice to say about the person that’s genuine. It could be that they did something good that made the newspapers. Or maybe they are wearing a great watch. They should be flattered and start talking.

Step 2: Find common interests. Imagine you’re dating and you saw someone attractive who you would like to talk to. What would you talk about? Many people would talk about themselves. Smart people would ask questions, getting the other person to talk. Once you learn about them, you can pick out common interests. Now you are interesting because you know about something that is of interest to them.

Step 3: Seeing them again. You are smart enough to know when to disengage. You do not want to be tiresome or come on strong. You thank them for chatting and then find someone else to meet. Later, toward the end of the event, you catch up again. This might be at the coat check or the car valet station. There is always a line. Let them know you enjoyed talking with them. Remind them you have interests in common and mention a few of them. This demonstrates you were listening. Let them know you would like to keep in touch. Ask how you can do that.  Do not volunteer a business card. Instead, let them make the first move. They might suggest connecting on social media. They might ask for your phone number and immediately text you. They might be “old school” and write out their name and address. You give them your contact information in return.

It’s possible they don’t want to keep in touch. Sometimes it happens. Let them off the hook. Don’t push. 

With these tips, meeting new people can be easy, as well as fun and rewarding.

Bryce Sanders is president of Perceptive Business Solutions Inc. His book “Captivating the Wealthy Investor” is available on Amazon.

For more networking ideas and tips:

• Read “Networking on holiday” (MDRT member exclusive)
• Read “11 keys to impactful networking” (MDRT member exclusive)
• Watch “Networking your way to Top of the Table as a millennial” (Court of the Table and Top of the Table member exclusive)