7 Steps to Successful Networking

Essential tips for any networker that will enable you to strategically get what you

want from each networking event, to really grow your business, stop wasting time

and enjoy the whole experience!

1. Be Prepared

There's nothing worse than turning up somewhere totally unprepared so have a mental

checklist in your head and ready before you leave for any networking event. Equip yourself

with a name/ business badge, plenty of business cards and a pen. (I also always take my diary

so I can book in meetings with people I meet if necessary!)

2. What's your Plan?

Networking is no different from the rest of your business - you need a plan! How many

people do you need to connect with to satisfy your 'new leads goal'? How many good

conversations do you want to have? How many Joint Venture partners are you looking for?

How many appointments would you like to book in? Having some forethought of the answers

to these kind of questions will give you clear direction and a behaviour to help you move

towards achieving your goals.

3. Wearing the right thing

Not only should you be wearing the appropriate clothing that clearly conveys who you are

and what you do in your business but practical clothes too. This mainly applies to women and

the men are hopefully wearing a pair of trousers! Wear something with pockets! I always put

my business cards in my right hand pocket and the new ones I receive in my left. It keeps life

simple and organised.

4. It's all about the code

It's all well and good collecting lots of business cards but if you're anything like me from the

next day and beyond the business cards only generate vague memories. Details like

conversations of connecting on social media, sending them something, giving them a call or

which database to put them on often gets forgotten in the frenetics of business life! So, add a

code to your cards that helps you to remember. Clearly state the name of the networking

group/event in shorthand and then anything memorable about that person. Also include any

action you need to take when you get back to the office.

5. What is it that you do?

When you're amongst a sea of businessmen and women all doing and saying the same thing

you really have to stand out from the crowd. It's too easy to slip into the behavioural norms

and not get noticed. So have a think about how you can differentiate yourself. An easy way to

do this is not to lead with your business name but the results you get for your customers. So,

for example, We save our customers money, or we give you back you time. Framing your

conversations this way will set you up for far more interesting chats about the results you get

for your customers and what it really is that you do.

6. Questions, questions, questions

We all love to talk about ourselves! Why? Because we are the most important people in our

lives and our businesses are extremely important to us too. We know just how great they

are!

But often a lot of well seasoned networkers fail to understand the principle of selling oneself.

Questions are the answer! My guess is that we are all looking for qualified leads - people and

or businesses that match the criteria of our market. We're looking for potential customers

that we can make a real difference to, add amazing value to and have them come back again

and again with their friend in tow?! So, we need to qualify the people that we talk to by

showing an interest and asking as many relevant questions as possible because the clues as

to whether we can help them or not will be in their answers!

7. Follow Up

One of the things that most business owners are poor at is an effective follow system. If we

don't have this in place in our business then we will potentially be leaving money on the table

for our competitors to sweep up! Make it a principle that you always follow the next day or

even at the end of the week - schedule some time in.

I always suggest the next day as it seems a perfect time to make contact after your event. not

too keen but not so long passed the meeting that nobody remembers who you are!

I do receive follow up emails from people that have just got back into the office straight from

the event. I'm sure they are just very, very efficient but I always seem to find myself having

this non-verbalised response - 'Saddos!' It just gives me the impression that they haven't got

anything better to do i.e. work or paying customers! I'm sure none of that is true but never

the less the next day seems an appropriate time to follow up - always making reference to

where you met.

8. Under promise - over deliver!

Just to add a bit of extra value for you all! Check where your focus is. Make sure you're not

the centre of your own attention. Focus on whoever it is that you're speaking with and how

you can add value to them. Remember it's a givers gain!