My Top 5 Business Networking Tips

Having both hosted and attended hundreds of networking events over the years, it still never ceases to amaze me how badly some people approach business networking, but if done properly it can do wonders for your business.

I’ve put together some tips based on my own experiences which I hope you find useful.

Always Arrive On Time

This may seem like a no brainer but I can assure you, people showing up late to a networking meeting is very common and very disruptive to the organiser. Often, structured business networking events run to a very strict schedule so arriving late can upset the running order of the even which in turn decreases the value other people in attendance received. This can make you fairly unpopular with others in the room.

Be Prepared

First and foremost, make sure you have plenty of business cards or other marketing materials available for everyone at the networking event. If you are not certain of how many to bring, you can always reach out to the organiser to find out how many people are expected.

The second thing you need to have ready is your pitch. Be sure to mix this up if you are attending multiple networking events so if there is any crossover in attendees they are not being bored with the same sales pitch time and time again. Try to change what it is you are looking for each event, that way as you do begin to network with the same people, they also get to understand the diversity of your business. Focus in on who you are, what you do and explain the types of businesses you are looking to connect with, and if you have time give examples of some typical clients/success stories your business has recently acquired.

Be Approachable

We’ve all been to networking events where you see closed groups of people who usually all know each other and make it difficult to engage with. We’ve also seen the uncomfortable first timers sheepishly standing in the corner struggling to make eye contact with everyone.

Be the introducer! Always stand in an open position looking for opportunities to welcome people into your company, introduce them to other people in the room. This will hold you in good stead with that person and you’ll be remembered as the person who helped them feel more comfortable. It builds trust which in turn builds relationships.

Listen

Be a good listener! Don’t be one of those terrible networkers (we all know one) that just comes along to dish out business cards and sell sell sell. It takes time to build up good relationships and anyone thinking they are going to walk away with a handful of orders after just one event is sadly mistaken.

Get to know the people you are networking with. Listen to what they are looking for, understand what issues are facing them. Be the one that connects them with the perfect client or solves their issues and trust me through time the same will come back to you.

Follow Up

What is the point of taking time out of your day, cash out of your pocket to go to a business networking event if you are not going to follow up on your new contacts properly, yet it happens all the time.

People get too busy and are not organised enough that by the time they do sit down to go through their business cards, it’s embarrassingly too late. I know, I used to be one of these people.

Act straight away and be the efficient networker who does what they say they will do. This too will build trust and confidence in your network. Connect with them on Linkedin, drop them an email to say how nice it was to meet and if you really connected, invite them for a coffee and further discussions.