I consider myself a professional networker for a couple of reasons: first, because my connections actually serve me long-term, and second, because I know how to maintain and nurture them in a way that turns a single meeting into an ongoing relationship.
And over the past almost four years of proactively building my network in the United States, I've noticed one pattern that shows up every single time, regardless of the event, the industry, or the people in the room. People have no idea how to introduce themselves in a way that makes you remember them and see the connection as something valuable to continue.
Let's dive in.
You are not talking about what you can do for me
Everyone is there for a reason, and obviously you are not there because you love standing in loud rooms with a glass of warm prosecco talking to strangers. You are there because you want something — a connection, a client, a collab, a job, a reference, a door that opens a slightly different door. And so is every single person you are about to meet.
Which means the moment you open your mouth and say "Hi, I'm a marketing manager at [company name]" — you have already lost me. Because that tells me absolutely nothing about what value exists in knowing you. What do you do that makes someone else's life, business, or career better? That is your introduction.
My example: I help founders build brands people become obsessed with, by being direct and turning the ideas they hesitate to say out loud into real growth.
After that, people always ask me follow-up questions.
You are giving me your job title, not your story
There is a difference between what you do and who you are, and the most memorable introductions find a way to carry both in one or two sentences. After you lead with your value, add one specific, slightly unexpected detail about yourself — something that creates texture, that makes you a person and not just a function.
Not your LinkedIn headline or your company name. Something that makes me tilt my head slightly and think "interesting." Maybe it is the problem you are obsessed with solving, the industry you came from before this one, the thing you are building on the side, or the very specific kind of person you love working with. One hook is enough. You do not need a monologue — you need one detail that opens a door for a follow-up question, and then you let the conversation do the rest.
My example: We are very direct in how we work, which means we don’t waste time on ideas that won’t perform and help founders get to what actually works much faster.
The goal of an introduction is not to tell someone everything about you. It is to make them want to ask.
Your visual presence is doing zero work for you
Show your creativity and make it the best conversation starter. I always have my pig Angela with me (it's a purse :))), so even if sometimes (I'm working on it) my face can look a bit bitchy — Angela solves the problem. Everyone starts complimenting her, people come up to me without me doing anything, already smiling and in a good mood. No need to break the ice — it's already a sunny ocean.
Meet Angela, the ice breaker🐷
Find your version of that.
Are you asking follow-up questions?
An introduction is not a monologue. The people who are genuinely magnetic at networking events are almost never the ones talking the most — they are the ones asking the most interesting questions. After you say your piece, turn it around. Be genuinely curious about who is standing in front of you. People remember how you made them feel, and making someone feel interesting is one of the fastest ways to be remembered yourself.
Are you actually listening?
One thing I see all the time is how easily people get distracted mid-conversation — their eyes start wandering around the room, scanning who else is there, who just walked in, who might be more interesting to talk to next. And in that exact moment, the connection they were building is already breaking.
When you are speaking to someone, look them in the eyes, stay present, and focus on that one person instead of mentally being somewhere else or already looking for your next conversation. Because attention is felt immediately, and so is the lack of it.
You are not following up, so none of it matters anyway
Meeting someone is just the opening move. If you walk away, put their card somewhere, and never do anything with it — the whole interaction was essentially a very expensive small talk session. A follow-up message within 24 to 48 hours, referencing something specific from your conversation, is what turns a networking event contact into an actual connection. Without it, you are just two strangers who briefly existed in the same room.
Looking forward to seeing you at Sustainable Growth for Highly Ambitious Women, where we’ll improve how we introduce ourselves and connect on a deeper level