Every ambitious entrepreneur needs a diverse and large business network to maintain a consistent rate of growth. Hence, many intelligent entrepreneurs and smart startup owners make sure never to miss business events. They leverage every inch of potential that an event can offer to grow their businesses.
In this post, we will highlight some key things to help you successfully network your business in your next event.
Prioritize Precision
Wit lies in brevity. Enough said.
Your fellow entrepreneurs are there for a reason. They mean business. Hence, precision in all business-oriented conversations is paramount.
On being asked about what you do, tell them what exactly you do, instead of circumlocuting in cryptic terms. To exemplify, you can see which of the following ways to communicate your occupation is better:-
“I am a content marketer”
“I develop content for businesses to help them market themselves digitally and gain a better online presence”
“It’s not who you are underneath. It’s what you do, that defines you.” – The Dark Knight
Precision in communication lets you convey your message in the fastest way possible and eliminates any likelihood of doubt. Hence, this is a skill you must come prepared with at your next event.
Quality Contacts Over Quantity
You can gather only so many contacts at a time. You must hence, invest your time at the event wisely.
Instead of picking chats with every Tom, Dick, and Harry in the hall, prioritize who benefits you. Engage with people on the basis of a descending order of networking value you can generate from each of them. This saves time and is more productive.
Define your objectives
Before you suit up for the event, ask yourself:
- “What is it that I exactly want to accomplish from tonight’s event?”
- “How much time should I assign myself to accomplish that goal?
- “How much is it going to help my business?”
With a questioning mind, you are always forced to look for the right answers, making you more efficient at your task, and more focused on your goal.
Be presentable
Of course, you don’t want to look unkempt and sullied to your potential clients. So dress well to leave a good first impression on your fellow entrepreneurs. This way, you leverage the halo effect to your business’s benefit.
Be a good listener
People will be willing to help you only when they feel that the same will be reciprocated.
Even if it is subliminal, a receptive attitude conveys a general concern for the people you interact with. And listening is the action that the principle of reception foregrounds.
Also, careful listening helps in an easy recall of critical information. Hence, listen to fellow event-members well.
Notes are your best friends
Making notes about your interactions is a must. You already immersed in the operations of your business and trying to remember every important piece of information is a fool’s errand.
Hence, ensure that you write short descriptions of your interactions behind the concerned business cards you get at the event. This will enhance recall of the contact you made whenever the need for the same arises.
Don’t forget the follow-up email
You don’t pursue networking solely for throwing around business cards. Any interaction you have at the event will be incomplete without a follow-up email to the concerned contact. Your follow-up email should include a ‘thank you’ message expressing gratitude towards the individual for offering her time to you, followed by a reminder of what purpose you can address for her.
You must send follow-up emails at least within a week after the meeting. You don’t want them to forget you.
In case this seems like much work, simply schedule auto-generated emails to them right after you come back from the party. This way you will not have to track the progress of follow-up emails, and yet keep in touch with your contacts virtually.
Sometimes, interruptions are good
You are there for a purpose. You want to meet people who share common business interests with you.
Sometimes you might overhear a conversation among people at the event about something you can actively participate in. In such situations, you can politely chip in with a statement like, ‘’Excuse me but I just overheard your conversation about the recent GST amendment and being a CA, I believe I can help you with any information you need about it”. They will be happy that you took an initiative to help them and engage in an interesting dialogue. This fosters healthy relationships with your new contacts, along with leaving an obvious splendid impression on them
Don’t shy away from sharing
You’ve been hearing it since you were a kid. ‘Sharing is caring’. Indeed, it is!
Business is all about give-and-take. You help somebody, then they help you, and the cycle goes on. So don’t hesitate to share valuable contacts with your new contacts. If at all you end up helping them, they will go out of their way to refer you to their acquaintances, bringing you much more business than you expect.
Convey your interest
Convey it well in your interactions that you are actually interested in what the concerned individual says. This increases likelihood of affinity between you and your fellow entrepreneurs. Healthy conversations stem from a genuine interest, which immensely benefits you in the long run.
Attending business events on a regular basis must be way up on the priority list of a serious entrepreneur. If you want to maximize your networking potential, you must do make sure you do it the right way.
If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right!
Comments
- A gif we can use for point no.7- https://giphy.com/gifs/obama-barack-obama-president-26grAXwj92bCc8Eso
- This gif can be used for point no. 2- https://giphy.com/gifs/the-office-college-xJq6GdKPW1Rks