How to interact in a Meetup with entrepreneurs
or the ways I deal with expectations and characters
Per its Wikipedia definition, Meetup is an online social networking website/mobile app that facilitates offline group meetings in various localities around the world
The Context
I am a solo-entrepreneur currently working to make my idea come to fruition. I have in project to facilitate the entrepreneur journey from the idea to the creation of the company. With that mind, the first thing to do obviously is to go out and meet other entrepreneurs with the goal of gathering intel on their thought process, their needs and their current sources for answers. Meetup is probably the app that I use the most to know about these events, find the more suitable ones and RSVP. So, here I am, attending as many meetups or other professional gatherings for entrepreneurs as I can.
Why write about meeting strangers
Because these are not just regular strangers. These might be the very people you end up doing business with. They can become your partners, associates, investors, clients, mentors,… As a matter of fact, the very reason you often attend one of these is that you are looking for one of the above. Very few people come out there just out f genuine simple curiosity. Even the curious ones have an end game.
I am currently looking for entrepreneurs in order to create a community around my project. They would be potential testers/clients for my product. I am also looking at finding an associate. Those are my reasons.
Part of the issue is: we all go there with a project in mind. Everybody comes in and wants to pitch a different idea, sell an already existing product, evaluate their own new revolutionary concept. Hence, the conversations are very rich, pleasant and full of interesting ideas. But how can you get out of these 2 hours with something positive, a potential asset for your business?
What I encountered and my tips to work (talk) around it
- The Bully: that person does everything to have the conversation roll around them or their project. They do not hesitate to cut anybody off to offer their point of view or expertise. They talk over you, they hijack your presentation and your audience. Do not engage in a all-out war of words. We are not in a courtroom. This is not a battle rap event. We are not here to exchange punchlines. My solution is to get the person to talk as much as possible about themselves. Ask them about their project and listen. They will enjoy the attention put on their (surely brilliant, no judgment here) idea so much that they will say a lot. While they do, scan the group and assess whether or not your initial target on the group is interested or not. If their attention to what’s going on is so-so, open a side conversation with them about your project or theirs. I’d rather have one interested listener than an audience of bored or annoyed people.
- The evaluator: they put you to the test. They want you to pitch as if you were in a startup contest and they were part of the jury. Then they critique your idea, your hypothesis and your project. They have a word to say about your market definition, your product’s name, the need you address and the solution you chose to tackle it. This is all an interesting challenge that you should accept and face. If that person is convinced, that says a lot about your preparation and your knowledge of your business. So, that’s all positive until they blatantly show that they are destroying your idea just for the sake of it. If so, walk away. They’re clearly not your target. Don’t waste time there and do not let a stranger mess with your confidence and your will to create.
- The teacher or mr. Know-how: In a classroom this type of personality might be annoying but in this case you know what? I’ll take it in, listen to you carefully and make mental notes on your different points. I’m probably not going to change everything on my project to fit with your expose, but at least I will get out of here with a new sample of how the community thinks, acts, manages or talks about a specific topic. That person either has pleasure sharing their knowledge or is presomptuous enough to think that they know it all. In any case, it can always be useful to listen to advice given for free, even if you don’t actually apply them. Exactly like you do with your mentors.
- The business card collector: They are usually not there to share. They are marketing themselves, their product or the company they are representing (investor firm, agency that provides services or council to entrepreneurs,…) They want to tell you what to do, know what you do and they assess very quickly whether or not you guys have any reason of talking further. They will not push that conversation right away because they have to do the same exercise with everybody in the venue. Just do the same as them. Listen, Pitch, Assess, Exchange cards or not, Keep it moving.
- The sales person: Honestly dude, I did not come here trying to buy anything so don’t try to sell me anything right away. Now you think, pitching is selling, and you’re right. But there is something different about triggering genuine interest and trying to force your product inside anybody’s throat. If you’ve identified me as a possible client, get my info and contact me later. I am not going to buy now, I am trying to sell my own stuff :) As a matter fact, let me move on and talk to somebody else. I am clearly not going to get anything interesting out of you.
- The uninterested: If I’m talking about my business idea and you’re looking at your phone all the time or looking at other groups of people, I’m not trying to convince you. I’m out. I might just finish the quickest form of my pitch with you just to stay polite and use this opportunity to train on my delivery as if I was a comedian or an artist in rehearsal.
- The introvert: this guy usually stays there and listens without saying a word, or at least not until the group is small enough to his/her taste. Then they have questions for you or might want to pitch their ideas to you. Is it a lack of confidence or an effort to protect their idea and only share it with the one person they have identified could help them? I don’t know. I believe once you’ve identified the introvert, you get them to talk amongst the bigger group. That not only might help them, but also helps you know whether or not you have anything interesting to get from them without the “hassle” of a private conversation that cuts you off of the action happening all over the venue.
I have just listed the different types of characters that you could find in a gathering with entrepreneurs, based on my own personal experience. I also gave my opinion on how to interact with them and be efficient about what you can get out to them to benefit your own interests.
- I leave the bully with her/his fans while I gather a smaller group of people who can be interested in a conversation where people actually share experiences
- I accept the challenge of the evaluator until I figure they are just breaking down my idea for the sake of it
- I listen carefully to mr. know-it-all because even though they might be mistaking or I might disagree, they obviously want to share and that gives me an idea of how/what people think about the specific topic of our conversation. Especially if the topic is my project
- I exchange cards with the business card collector only if I have identified during their introduction that they are working on/for something that might of any interest to me
- I excuse myself politely from the salesman/woman. I want get anything from them
- I use the opportunity of an uninterested person to train on the delivery of my speech then I keep it moving
- I try to get the introvert to talk in a group so I don’t have to isolate myself with them to get to know what I can get from them or how I can help them
If you have dealt with other types of personalities, please free to comment below and let me know what you expect from these people and how you turn the conversation to an exchange that also advantages you.
One thing for sure, ALWAYS have a business card. For certain people, you are not serious or big enough if you don’t have one. Other people will only remember you and your project if they have that card as a reminder. It doesn’t have to be your actual current business card. It doesn’t even have to be a specific business card. Just your name, occupation and contact info on a blank card will suffice.
Two guys also told me: firstname.name@gmail.com is getting old. This is not the email address of a professional anymore. If you’re so cheap that you can’t even buy a domain name like these :myname.com / myname-occupation.com / myinitials.me, then they think you are not yet serious enough about being an entrepreneur and they probably do not want to work with you.
Hope this helps :)
I am on the verge of revolutionizing how startups are being built. No, I’m not kidding :)
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