"Working a room" always sounds so political. It also makes it sound like there’s a specific agenda; if you don’t know many of the people at the event, you won’t know exactly what you’ll be pitching. Part of it is a learned skill; part is natural ease.
That being said, here are my…
Top 10 "Working the Room" Tips for Lawyers:
10. A couple days before the event, get together for 15 minutes with all the attendees and your marketing people who will have made out an "Event Overview" sheet that talks about the purpose of the event, who’s putting it on, who the other attending companies are (or may be), and why the firm is involved. Reviewing the overview sheet will help you understand the event and participants, and make "working the room" much easier and more comfortable.
9. The week before the event, your marketing team will email you a list of web links that will guide you to the sites of the people putting on the event and possible attendees. You’ll get an email reminder several days before the event, and the day before, asking you to take a look at the sites and find something that relates to your practice. Keep looking until you find an interesting tidbit that could start a conversation, a la, "Did you know that XYZ Corp has successfully defended two anti-trust cases on this very issue?"
8. The week before the event, your marketing team will email you with a list of buzz-words and definitions related to the event. An informed lawyer is a chatty lawyer!
7. The week before the event, your marketing team will email you with a list of all the lawyers (and/or staff) attending the event, including pictures, bios and areas of specialty. That way, when you meet someone at the event, you can say, "You know what… you should really talk with Sarah. She’s our expert in the field of vegetable dye litigation."
6. A day or two before the event, you’ll be "paired up" with another lawyer from your firm. Each pair will consist of a more senior attorney and someone with less experience. The two of you will work the room together. It’s always easier to meet and mix if you’ve got a wingman.
5. At the event, your marketing person(s) will make sure you’ve got your nametag, know where you’re sitting, and are aware of the agenda for the evening. He/she will also point out "ripe" opportunities in the room by industry, company or general interest.
4. Throughout the event, as you work the room with your "buddy," your marketing person will intersect your path to introduce someone he/she has engaged in delightful conversation.
3. If you see someone standing around alone, nervously sipping a drink, looking as if she/he would rather be in the 3rd circle of the Inferno (lying in mud, beseiged by snow, hail and filthy water, menaced by Cerebus) than at this event, approach him/her and suggest that you’d all feel better if you met at least one new person at this event. Remarks like, "I hate these things, but my marketing guy makes me go," or "If I don’t hand out at least 10 business cards and get 10 in return, my marketing guy will sell my kid to the gypsies" are encouraged.
2. If you have gone more than 10 minutes without talking to someone who’s not from your firm, find your marketing person and get him/her to engineer a conversation.
1. Keep score. How many people did you meet? How many cards did you give/get? How many buzzwords did you use? Your marketing person will have a very nice prize for the attendee with the highest score. If you think of it like a game, contest or sporting event, you’ll enjoy it more and accomplish something.
You’ll notice that most of these tips require lots of planning and development from the marketing department. Here’s the thing; if you (as the marketer) aren’t a master of working the room, aren’t involved in the event up to your eyeballs, can’t think of any reason to go except "Heavy Partner X sponsored our table," and haven’t prepped your team… don’t expect much from them. "Working the room" is a marketing activity. Treat it like one and you’ll see some results.
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