At the METal meeting today, hosted by Ken Rutkowski. Stephen Meade introduced us to a great networking concept he called the Tornado Effect. Following is a brief overview of a simple but powerful concept.
The power of a tornado is focused in the tip. Stephen contends that this point, in a business networking setting, is embodied in the question (and subsequent answer): What do you need?
Many times we spend a great deal of time explaining what we do (poor elevator speech ability), when the key thing to convey is what you currently need. In this way you can create instant action and progress.
Stephen likes to ask: Who do you sell to? What are the top three companies you want to do business with?
In summary, effectively communicate what you do quickly, but even more importantly, explain what you need in the same manner.
