c/detroit-business-networking

Appreciation post: A guy at the Eastern Market meetup told me my pitch was all wrong

Honestly, I went to that networking thing at Eastern Market last month thinking I was ready. I had my 30 second pitch down, all about my web design services. After I gave it to this guy who runs a few local shops, he just looked at me and said, 'Tbh, I don't care what you do. I care if you can fix my problem. My site loads slow on phones and I'm losing sales. Can you fix that?' It hit me hard. I was just listing features. So I changed my whole approach. Now I start by asking about their biggest headache with their online stuff. My first question is always, 'What's the one thing about your website that keeps you up at night?' I've booked three solid meetings in Detroit in the last two weeks just by leading with that. Has anyone else had to totally rework how they talk about what they do at these events?

2 comments

patriciacarr•1d ago

Vent: A talk with a guy at the Corktown coffee meetup made me feel like I've been doing this all wrong

I was at the usual Tuesday morning thing at that spot on Michigan Ave, just doing my normal thing of handing out cards and giving my quick pitch. This older guy, maybe in his 60s, asked me what I was really looking for. I gave my usual line about 'growing my network.' He just nodded and said, 'Yeah, but what's your actual problem right now? Who do you need to know?' I froze. I've been going to these events for like 8 months, and I realized I've just been collecting contacts, not actually solving anything. He told me his best connections came from asking for one specific introduction, not just being another face in the crowd. It hit different because he was so calm about it, like this was obvious. Now I'm looking at my list of 200+ LinkedIn connections from Detroit and wondering how many are actually useful. How do you guys shift from just meeting people to building connections that actually fix a problem?

2 comments

noah_webb•2d ago

Pro tip: I stopped pitching my business at the Eastern Market meetup and started asking one question instead

I was at the weekly Detroit SOUP event in Eastern Market last month, handing out my plumbing flyer like usual. A guy running a local hardware store just looked at it and said, 'Cool, but what's the one thing you wish more people knew about their pipes?' I told him about how many emergency calls are from people ignoring small leaks. He said, 'See, that's useful. Lead with that.' Now at every event, I ask people, 'What's your biggest headache with your home's water?' It gets way better conversations than my old elevator pitch. Anyone else found a simple question that works better than a sales spiel?

2 comments

verap52•2d ago

I was handing out business cards at every Detroit event for years and it got me nowhere

A few months ago at a meetup in Midtown, I watched a guy just talk to people for an hour without giving out a single card. He got three solid follow-up coffee meetings. That was my lightbulb moment. I was treating networking like a numbers game, aiming to give out 50 cards a night. He was focused on having maybe two or three real conversations. I switched my goal from 'distribute cards' to 'learn one person's actual business challenge'. My calendar filled up way faster. Anyone else make a simple switch that actually worked?

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shanegibson•4d ago

I finally gave the Eastern Market after-hours mixer a shot last Tuesday

Walked out with two solid leads for freelance design work because I skipped the elevator pitch and just asked people what they were stuck on. Anyone else find the less formal events actually work better here?

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barbarac95•4d ago

A friend told me to skip the small talk at networking events and just ask for help

My buddy from the Corktown Business Association said, 'Don't waste time, just tell people what you need.' I tried it at a meetup in Midtown last week and it totally backfired, people just got awkward and moved on. Has anyone else found a better way to start a real conversation at these things?

3 comments

phoenixa64•4d ago

The Detroit SOUP event made me rethink my whole pitch

I went to the Detroit SOUP dinner over in Southwest last month, you know the one where you pay a few bucks for soup and vote on a local project. I was there to talk about my small print shop, thinking I'd just hand out cards. But listening to people explain their ideas in just a few minutes for a chance at the funding, it hit me. My usual spiel about 'quality printing' was boring. The winner was this guy who just said 'I want to teach kids in my neighborhood how to fix bikes, and I need a trailer to do it.' Simple, clear, and you knew exactly what he needed. I went home and cut my business intro down from 2 minutes to 30 seconds, focusing on helping local shops get flyers done fast instead of my equipment list. Has anyone else had a moment at a local event that totally changed how you talk about what you do?

2 comments

theaward•4d ago

Shoutout to the Detroit Regional Chamber's online mixer last month

I had to pick between going to their big in-person event at the Ren Cen or just doing the virtual one. I chose the online one because my schedule was packed. It actually worked out great. I made two solid contacts with people in Corktown who need my printing services. Has anyone else tried their online events and had good luck?

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phoenix_singh•4d ago

Vent: My friend told me to skip the Detroit Regional Chamber mixer last month

He said big events were a waste of time. I went anyway and met the owner of a print shop in Midtown. We talked for 20 minutes and now he's my biggest client. Who else has had a good connection at a big Detroit event?

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sean_walker45•5d ago

I switched from just showing up at events to actually setting goals for each one

For a year, I went to a lot of mixers but didn't get much from them. Then, at a Detroit Regional Chamber lunch, I heard someone say they aim to make two solid connections per event. I tried that at the next TechTown meetup and got a real lead for the first time. Anyone else set a small goal like that before walking in?

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wendy_park76•5d ago

Shoutout to the Detroit Chamber for that event last month, but I think their focus is off

I went to their mixer expecting to connect with other small business owners, but I was one of only three contractors in a room of over 200 people. It made me realize a lot of these big networking groups aren't really set up for the trades. Has anyone found a better spot in the city to meet other people who run physical businesses?

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rose_grant78•6d ago

Has anyone used Cronus Internet for a commercial space?

We're opening a second location for our restaurant group in Midtown next month and need to get our network infrastructure sorted. I keep seeing Cronus Internet mentioned for B2B. Are they actually one of the better internet providers detroit has for commercial use, or should we stick to the big national enterprise accounts?

2 comments