Working The Crowd

Over the weekend I had the pleasure of attending the launch of make up artist Shu Uemura's new range of false eyelashes at a bar in Aoyama. This was a very well attended and enjoyable event, at which I was able to even have a new set of false eyelashes attached by the experts at Shu Uemura, while sipping on cocktails courtesy of 42 Below. I had been invited to this event through the NZ connection to 42 Below, by my friend. It struck me that this was an opportunity that I would have never had access to back in New Zealand, and really reinforced the value of personal networks here in Japan.

Last week I covered the basics of the exchange of business cards, so with that in mind, this week’s article will focus on how to get what you want out of your networking opportunities.
Before starting out, you first need to decide your objective. There are a number of different reasons you may wish to meet people in Tokyo, ranging from finding a new job, to making friends, to finding people that may be interested in your product or service. In order to maximize your networking, the clearer this objective is, the easier it will be to achieve.

Having clarified your objective, then think about what kind of people you want to meet, and how they will specifically be able to help you. My networking generally consists of business related objectives (such as finding people who work in similar industries/positions as I do) and personal (meeting new people who share similar hobbies, have similar interests, with whom I would like to become friends). As such, I try and single out people who work in Marketing and Internet Marketing related fields, or who work in the IT industry for my business related networking. For my personal networking I make sure to always carry my business cards, even to seemingly innocuous events such as farewell parties. You never know who you may meet.

Having clarified your objective, the type of people you want to meet, and have an understanding of how you would like them to help you, you need to choose a networking event to attend. Naturally, it is important to match the event to the objective and type of people you would like to meet. Generally for my business networking, I frequent events held by the American Chamber of Commerce, as well as Mobile Mondays for networking in the Mobile Telecommunications Industry. For personal networking I tend to frequent events related to New Zealand (such as Kiwi contacts), as well as various welcome/farewell events. Various embassies also sponsor a number of networking functions. Foreign Executive Women offers a great combination of both personal and business networking, and I attend their events when I am particularly interested in one of the seminars they hold.

The key to meeting new people, in any type of networking event, is to take the initiative and introduce your self. Naturally everyone feels nervous when meeting a stranger for the first time, they key is to manage those nerves and focus on your objective. If confidence doesn’t come naturally to you, my advice is to fake it. Just remember that everyone at these events is there for the same purpose as you – to meet new people and learn about what they have to offer. So be bold, walk up to someone and just say hello. Start by introducing yourself and ask what the other person about them self. I sometimes find it helps to ask some general “ice breaker” questions such as how long the person has lived in Japan (if a foreigner) or to inquire as to the person’s favorite thing about living in Japan. Remember to always be polite, and above all listen to what the other person has to say.

As the goal with these events is to meet a number of people, it is generally accepted that after five to ten minutes of talking to a person it is time to move on, and meet someone else. Again, I have found that it sometimes helps to have a phrase or two up your sleeve to make that break, sometimes it is appropriate to simply thank the person for their time, and say that you appreciate that they may want to move on to meet other people.

One final note that should almost go without saying - Most networking events in Japan are involve some form of social drinking and/or dinner. Remember, particularly if you are nervous, not to drink too much or too quickly. No one wants to meet someone who smells like alcohol and is swaying while talking.

As a foreigner in Japan, there are many great opportunities available that would not necessarily be open to you in your home country. I know a number of people working in industries that would not have been options to them had they not been in Japan (and spoken Japanese). Indeed, I am sure I would not have been invited to attend a make up launch had I not been in Japan. In order to find these opportunities make sure you never leave home without your business cards, and more importantly a friendly demeanor and smile!~ Good luck.