What’s a Meet & Greet?
At many local and national events, you’ll have the opportunity to pitch to corporate and government representatives and learn about their procurement processes. Meet & Greets are a “speed-dating” style of networking where the business owner has the power to choose who they would like to meet. WBEs join a table along with a small group of other business owners, take turns pitching their business, and ask procurement questions of the representative. When the bell rings, go find a new table!
1. Make a plan in advance
There generally will not be enough rounds for you to meet all of the representatives in attendance. Take a good look at the list of corporations attending ahead of time to plan who you most want to meet. Seats at each table are first come, first served, so have a plan with your #1 “must have,” a couple “love to haves,” and a few backup “like to haves.”
2. Divide and conquer
Your employees and colleagues are welcome to participate and pitch on your behalf! If there are only 5 rounds and you want to meet 10 corporates, bring a colleague to maximize your networking.
3. Don’t run
Usually there are only 5 minutes or less between each round of networking. Event organizers often provide a floor plan of where each corporate is sitting. Map out your route to avoid the mad dash across the hall, a late entrance, or the worst case- not getting a seat at the table.
4. Prepare a 30 second pitch
Expect an additional 5-8 business owners to join you at each Meet & Greet table. Each cycle is usually only 15-25 minutes. Practice your pitch in advance so everyone gets a chance to go around the table and introduce their business, plus leave time for the representative to tell you about their procurement processes.
5. Bring enough copies of your capability statement
The capability statement is a one-page resume that highlights your business, and that you can hand out along with your business card. Make it catchy, splashy, and professionally representative of your business so you leave the impression you want. Include successes, contact information, capability NAICS codes, and any other necessary info to give the best first impression possible.
6. Don’t forget about the other WBEs
Meet & Greet events usually have a large turnout from business owners… ones who could also be potential clients. Don’t get so hung up on meeting corporate and government representatives that you miss out on this huge potential network. Collect business cards from the other WBEs who are sitting at the table with you.
7. Read up on your target clients’ procurement programs beforehand
One of the worst things you can do is sit down at the table and say “how can I help your organization?” Instead, impress the representative by showing how you can help them based on the research you’ve done. Get to know the online presence of the corporations you’ll be meeting in advance- what they’ve posted on LinkedIn, recent projects or goals, or public statements from executive leadership. Come prepared with the knowledge of how you will be a good fit for the company so you can pitch appropriately, ask personalized questions, and show why your business can be an amazing part of their supply chain.
8. Register for portals ahead of time
Often the first question a corporate representative will ask you is “are you registered in our supplier portal?” If you are, it will show that you’ve done your research and are serious about taking the next step to do business with that company. Many links to corporate supplier portals are public and can be found by simply googling “name of company” along with keywords like supplier portal, vendor registration, or small business portal.
9. Remember that this is about relationship building
Being a certified WBE never guarantees business, but it does open up doors to meet corporate representatives and have an equal opportunity to compete. Remember that meeting someone once does not mean you have a business relationship. It takes multiple touch points and sometimes months or years to build up to a friendly, trusting business relationship and for the right opportunity to come along. Share your business cards, follow up respectfully, and don’t be discouraged if you don’t get business right away. Check out the 11 Secrets to Connecting with Corporates
Join us!
Meet & Greets happen throughout the year at both local and national events. Keep an eye on our calendar of events.