To the uninitiated, business networking can be a daunting affair especially if you are going to an event on your own. Well to help ease the stress of it all, here are a few tips on how to get the best out of your networking.
Be prepared
A common question that I get asked at events is "what do you do?". You probably already know that you will be asked this question, so why not prepare an answer! You don't want to give a speech, but something that captures your business and unique selling points in a nutshell...let's say 20 seconds. Even though you know your business inside out, having a prepared answer will stop you waffling and will give you confidence. If you sound confident, then you will also benefit by subtly building an amount of credibility with the person with whom you are talking to.
Get there early
If you arrive late, then many people will already be in conversation and you may feel unable to interrupt. Believe me that walking into a busy room full of strangers is difficult for everyone. By getting there early you can take control of the situation and easily break into chat in a relaxed manner with other early arrivals about the venue, the event or even the weather. If you do happen to arrive late and you don't know anybody then my advice would be to see who is on the guest list that you'd like to talk to, then introduce yourself to one of the event organisers and ask them to introduce you to your target.
Be brave
Everyone at a networking event wants to talk to other business people...yes, they want to talk to you! So don't be frightened to go up to someone and open up with some small talk. Most people in the room will be nice people who are or have been in similar positions so will generally be understanding. However, do not interrupt a conversation as this would certainly appear impolite and as you well know first impressions count! A good idea is to look around the room and identify someone who is on their own, probably a shy individual that hasn't prepared and who would just love you to go and talk to them.
Don't sell
Networking is about building relationships, so don't give people your sales pitch. Start of with some small talk and then move on to business matters later on. Try not to be interrogative, but it would be a good idea to have prepared a few questions that may identify their business needs so you have to think before hand about suitable questions. Remember to approach the relationship from the perspective of how you can help them or who you can introduce them to rather than what you can get out of it.
The opportunity
If an opportunity does appear, then try to avoid pouncing on it like a cat upon a stricken mouse as this may put the person off. Judge the situation for yourself, but I'd be tempted to ask politely, if they'd mind if you called them about solving their business problem the next day and then move on.
Always follow up
In the course of a networking event, you will probably talk to several people. Never make assumptions about who you've talked to as you don't know who they know. If you've told someone that you'll contact them then make sure you do that. With other new contacts you can send them an email saying it was good to meet them and that you'll look forward to seeing them again at future events. You could alternatively seek them out on LinkedIn and connect with them that way. If you are doing a telephone call, then don't forget to prepare what you are going to say...you may even want to prepare a short script in case you get put through to the answer phone.
Business Cards
I still meet people at networking events who do not have business cards. I find this rather incredible but it still happens and I think it can be interpreted as being unprofessional. Your business card can help you to be remembered and can also enable people to contact you so make sure you take plenty with you. When you get a business card from a new contact you can use the card later on to scribble a note or two about the conversation you had. It may help later on if you are planning to do a follow up call.
Be prepared
A common question that I get asked at events is "what do you do?". You probably already know that you will be asked this question, so why not prepare an answer! You don't want to give a speech, but something that captures your business and unique selling points in a nutshell...let's say 20 seconds. Even though you know your business inside out, having a prepared answer will stop you waffling and will give you confidence. If you sound confident, then you will also benefit by subtly building an amount of credibility with the person with whom you are talking to.
Get there early
If you arrive late, then many people will already be in conversation and you may feel unable to interrupt. Believe me that walking into a busy room full of strangers is difficult for everyone. By getting there early you can take control of the situation and easily break into chat in a relaxed manner with other early arrivals about the venue, the event or even the weather. If you do happen to arrive late and you don't know anybody then my advice would be to see who is on the guest list that you'd like to talk to, then introduce yourself to one of the event organisers and ask them to introduce you to your target.
Be brave
Everyone at a networking event wants to talk to other business people...yes, they want to talk to you! So don't be frightened to go up to someone and open up with some small talk. Most people in the room will be nice people who are or have been in similar positions so will generally be understanding. However, do not interrupt a conversation as this would certainly appear impolite and as you well know first impressions count! A good idea is to look around the room and identify someone who is on their own, probably a shy individual that hasn't prepared and who would just love you to go and talk to them.
Don't sell
Networking is about building relationships, so don't give people your sales pitch. Start of with some small talk and then move on to business matters later on. Try not to be interrogative, but it would be a good idea to have prepared a few questions that may identify their business needs so you have to think before hand about suitable questions. Remember to approach the relationship from the perspective of how you can help them or who you can introduce them to rather than what you can get out of it.
The opportunity
If an opportunity does appear, then try to avoid pouncing on it like a cat upon a stricken mouse as this may put the person off. Judge the situation for yourself, but I'd be tempted to ask politely, if they'd mind if you called them about solving their business problem the next day and then move on.
Always follow up
In the course of a networking event, you will probably talk to several people. Never make assumptions about who you've talked to as you don't know who they know. If you've told someone that you'll contact them then make sure you do that. With other new contacts you can send them an email saying it was good to meet them and that you'll look forward to seeing them again at future events. You could alternatively seek them out on LinkedIn and connect with them that way. If you are doing a telephone call, then don't forget to prepare what you are going to say...you may even want to prepare a short script in case you get put through to the answer phone.
Business Cards
I still meet people at networking events who do not have business cards. I find this rather incredible but it still happens and I think it can be interpreted as being unprofessional. Your business card can help you to be remembered and can also enable people to contact you so make sure you take plenty with you. When you get a business card from a new contact you can use the card later on to scribble a note or two about the conversation you had. It may help later on if you are planning to do a follow up call.
Neil Chatterjee is the owner of Mojo Marketing, a full service marketing agency based in Lancaster, UK. He is a qualified member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and has over 20 years experience in marketing across varied sectors. Mojo Marketing specialises in legal sector marketing in England and Wales, but also provides marketing advice to small and medium sized businesses in particular to those businesses seeking to develop new sales leads or create increased profits from current customers. |
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