You’re at a networking event.  Suddenly, an acquaintence of yours introduces you to the new person at the party, and dashes off.  After the usual, awkward “so what do you do?” conversation, it doesn’t take long before you’ve learned from them, at length, that they specialize in the sale of organic cat shampoo + conditioner, an up-and-coming industry.

Panic sets in.  Your heart starts to race.  You start thinking of ways to get out, but Mom’s lessons in politeness are too ingrained to fight!  So you listen.  You follow up their statements with questions like, “so, how did you break into the exciting field of cat pampering?”  Or, “did you have to go to school for this?”  You hate to break eye contact, but your eyes start to dart around the room, looking for anyone familiar to invite into this life-changing encounter.  But they’ve already heard about the cat lady, and they’re steering clear.  You’re on your own, and you’re doomed to insult them when you finally decide to make your move.  If only you had a way out…

Well, it’s actually not too hard to make a break for it and still come away smelling like a freshly-washed Mr. Boots.  Here is something to add to your networking playbook, in 3 little steps.

1) “Cat torturer, do you have a card?”  At this point, their eyes will light up.  “Yay, they’re interested and I might get my first customer that isn’t myself!” they think.  As they’re scrambling for a card, you glance around the room for help.  At this point they’ll probably ask for your card as well, which is fine - they’ll likely be out of the business within six months anyway.  Or, you could have conveniently forgotten your cards and offer up your e-mail addess, because that’s the “best way to contact you.”

2) “I’ve got to make sure I talk to this guy over here before he leaves, but it was really nice to meet you.  I hope our paths will cross again soon.”  What you’ve done is establish that you need, not want, to talk to someone else, and that there is urgency in doing so.  You also have given no indication that you’re personally interested in buying their cat irritant, so you don’t have to worry about promising things or lying to them.

3) “Hey Steve!”  You call to a friend, and whether they acknowledge your cry for help or not, you walk directly over to them without allowing anyone else to stop you along the way.  Put your hand on their shoulder or shake their hand when you get there for good measure, and look like you just dove into a deep conversation.

Whether you’re at a young professional society event, a cocktail party for work, or any other social event, you’re bound to run into some doozies.  Leaving your house at all will guarantee that you’re in this type of situation now and then.  But as you see here, it doesn’t have to throw you off track.  Once you’re good at this move, you can improvise and change the language to fit a multitude of situations.  In fact, even if the person is someone you really enjoy talking to, this maneuver is a great way to ensure you work the crowd and get the most out of your investment of time.

Photo by Osde-Info