Events are a great way to create connections that benefit your business. You need to make sure you approach them properly.
This time of year is party season. There are many calls during downtime between September and New Year's Day. But can you justify slipping out of work to put your happy rags on? What about the next day when I had dry mouth and a stubborn headache and lost productivity?
There is a good reason to say yes to the correct invitation. You can create new connections outside of your regular circles and strengthen old relationships (often talking to people you meet periodically elsewhere).
Help is at hand. As Swoop's #1 Champion Networker, here are my top tips to get the most out of your networking events:
Understand the tone
It's all about getting the tone right. Some events are more sociable, some are more business-focused. Why is this important? Because it informs a lot about your approach: you can get out of it, how you approach people, and even what you can expect from it.
Can I go straight from the office with a pocket full of business cards? Or do you need to spend a little more time preparing? You can get some mileage from confusing expectations – I once saw a construction business woman wearing steel-toed boots along with her designer ball gown. An unforgettable look.
You may need to read between the lines of the invitation to get the correct answer. If you are in doubt, you can always call the organizer to confirm your expectations.
Give before you take
Don't go to the event in the hopes of leaving with a full order book. Instead, take over your ideas and your experiences and pass them on to them as if they are outdated.
If you have books, branded items, or anything else that is a little more exciting than a business card, secure some of these to hand over to the chatter. It helps if they are something that helps to maintain.
It's dangerous to give advice at a party, especially if the shop where the talker is frowned upon. However, you can smoke advice in case studies. “Last week, we had a client who had that problem. They could do XYZ and that saved thousands of people a year. You need to check it out.”
I will polish your pitch
We're all not a great opening question, “What do you do?”, but it's the most common, so make sure you have a great answer to it.
Try to frame what you are doing as a solution to your problem. So instead of “I work in finance,” you might say, “It helps small businesses find the funds they need to grow.”
Specificity is useful. I was at a party where someone said, “I work with a computer.” “I thought it was 2024 all Use a computer. “Making solutions from your work or business will help people think about how you can help you they.
If you have 60 seconds to introduce yourself, don't spend your time. Practice the elevator pitch. Again, if you can make it about throwing something about yourself that will solve their problems and make you more accessible, then you will be ready for many people to talk about.
A few other things you might find useful: You can easily get a QR code or LinkedIn page for your business. I have mine as a lock screen on my phone (I created a “network” mode just for this kind of event). There are also QR codes on the branded shirt (for events) and magnetic badges (as the badges you usually get in network events are terrible sticky labels that round and fall off within 30 minutes). Wear the tag with the name on the right rather than the left – it's easy for others to read.
If someone gives me a business card, I think it would always be helpful to write something as a memory jogger for follow-up. If they see you doing this, it cements the idea in their mind that you are going to continue the conversation. If you have a business card, make sure there is a light space.
Are you a con artist or an introvert?
Two big reasons why you don't go to networking are that you don't feel like you belong there or you don't feel like you're introverted. Neither of these are real reasons.
If you have a touch of con man syndrome, go to a random person and say, “I feel like I'm completely out of my depth here, I don't think I fit at all.” You will either realize they feel the same way or it will take them a little time to tell you why you actually belong.
If you are an introvert, it's difficult, but you're not there to represent yourself, you're there to represent your business, so hide behind it.
My number one tip if you're as introverted as me: grab a bottle of what they offer (I try to get a red bottle) and (White bottle) And suddenly you have the job to do. You can go to Anyone And serve them a drink. And if they bore you, you make an excuse: “That woman's running is low, and I'd better raise her glass up.”
If it's a good party, people will think you'll be responsible. If it's a bad party, people will think you're trying to rescue it.
This is my favorite thing at the party and I'm sure the extroverts have skipped this section, so I'm just telling you this.
