How To Make the Most Out of a Business Networking Event

You’re not alone. Most people are uncomfortable walking into a room full of strangers. However, networking at business events can help you grow your business and allow you to do hands-on marketing research. Learning to mingle and to follow up with business networking contacts is crucial to your self-employment success. The following techniques will assist you in connecting effectively with others.

Before the Event

Come prepared to network by bringing business cards or ecards, a pen and a small notebook (or an electronic way of taking notes, like Evernote). Update your smartphone to allow you to scan QR codes (that might be displayed on name badges).

Make sure you eat before you go. If it’s a cocktail party or finger foods are being served during the networking portion of the meeting, it’s better to carry only a drink, instead of trying to juggle a plate of food.

Ask the event host about the dress code. Some events are ‘business formal” and people will be wearing business suits, though that is becoming rarer and depends on the industry or profession of those attending. Most events are “business casual” and there will be a mix of more relaxed styles. By knowing in advance what to expect, you maximize the feeling of being part of the group.

Know your goals:

• What is your purpose for attending this particular event? To meet specific people? To find prospective customers? To find a resource you need? Nurture existing relationships?
• Hold yourself accountable for a “networking goal” of meeting a specific number of people. Bring 20 business cards and promise yourself you won’t leave until you’ve given out all the cards. Ask for other people’s cards if you sincerely want to keep in touch with them. Not everyone you meet will be a good resource.

At the Event

First, arrive early. Get there early when the group is small and manageable. Enter the room with a smile. Even if you feel nervous, “act as if.” If you have a smile on your face, you will be perceived as approachable, enthusiastic, and friendly. (And you’ll feel a whole lot better, too!) 

Make sure you mingle. Do not isolate yourself with only your friends or colleagues you know. Move around. Spend no more than 5-6 minutes talking with any one person.

If it’s a smaller networking event, ask your host to introduce you to people that you want to meet, or to get you started in a group where you know no one. If they have a Greeting Committee or Ambassadors, find out who they are and ask for help with introductions. Reach out to people standing by themselves and introduce them to other people in the room. (If you are part of a group or association that does not have a Greeting Committee, offer to become a one-person Greeting Committee. It gives you the perfect excuse to introduce yourself to everyone who walks in the door!)

When you meet a person, shake hands, and repeat their name. This not only helps you remember it, but it shows that you’re making an effort to hear the name properly. Wear a nametag that is easy to read and is descriptive of you. Wear it on your right shoulder so that people can easily see it when they shake your hand (if your name tag is on a lanyard, shorten the lanyard so the name tag isn’t hanging near your belly).

Create, practice and use a description of yourself and your work that can be said in 30 seconds or less. Know how to describe your work in one or two sentences. This is commonly known as an Elevator Speech because it reflects what you can say in the time it takes to get from the ground floor to the top floor in an elevator.

Listen more than you talk. Remember that there is nothing more flattering than someone who listens carefully and shows sincere interest in other people. Ask questions and listen to the responses so that you begin to understand the person. This also helps you to identify who might be a potential client for your own products and services. 

Take notes to help you remember what people have said. When you get back to the office, put all this information into your contact management software.

After the Event

Once you have someone’s business card, make sure you follow up with them within 24 hours of the event. If there’s an obvious win-win connection with someone you’ve met at an event, call them up and invite them to lunch or a video meeting to explore the connection further. When you write the networking event into your calendar, also block out one or two hours the following day in your calendar for follow-up so that you know you have time to complete the task.

When you look upon networking events and business functions as an opportunity to meet new people, do some market research, and find potential clients, it can become a joy instead of a chore. Going in with a game plan makes you feel like you can really make the most of the event.