3 Ways to Get More Business at Networking Events

3 Ways to Get More Business at Networking Events

Business people unfamiliar with
referral networking sometimes lose
sight of the fact that networking is the
means--not the end--of their
business-building activities. They
attend three, four, even five events in
a week in a desperate grasp for new
business. The predictable result is that
they stay so busy meeting new people
that they never have time to follow up
and cultivate those relationships--and
how can they expect to get new
business from someone they've only
just met? As one of these
unfortunates remarked to me, "I feel
like I'm always networking but rarely
getting anything done."
I certainly agree that meeting new
people is an integral part of
networking, but it's important to
remember why we're doing it in the
first place: to develop a professional
rapport with individuals that will
deepen over time into a trusting
relationship that will eventually lead
to a mutually beneficial and continuing
exchange of referrals.
When meeting someone for the first
time, focus on the potential
relationship you might form. As hard
as it may be to suppress your business
reflexes, at this stage you cannot
make it your goal to sell your services
or promote your company. You're
there to get to know a new person. A
friend of mine told me something his
dad always said: "You don't have to
sell to friends." That's especially good
advice when interacting with new
contacts.
This doesn't mean you'll never get to
sell anything to people you meet
while networking; it does, however,
mean that you'll need to employ a
different approach. Networking isn't
about closing business deals or
meeting hordes of new people; it's
about developing relationships in
which future business can be closed.
Once you understand that and put it
into practice, you'll notice a few things
happening to your business.
First, you'll stand out from the crowd
with everyone you meet. People
often ask me how they can get
business at an event when there are
so many other people trying to do the
same thing. I simply tell them to be
different. A good way to do that is by
asking a new contact good questions
and taking the time to listen to her
answers. (A "good" question is one
that gets the person talking about
herself while helping you understand
her business. It's not an opportunity
for you to vet this person as a client.)
Good questions not only get the ball
rolling, but they also take the
pressure off you to carry the
conversation. Meeting new people can
be hard enough without feeling like
you have to be the life of the party to
do it. If you're not sure what kinds of
questions to ask, read Master
Networkers Ask the Right Questions
for more some ideas.
This advance networking approach is
especially vital for mortgage brokers,
real estate agents, insurance agents,
CPAs, financial planners, and others in
highly competitive industries. You
can't go to a networking event
without running into at least one
person in some of those fields.
When you network selflessly, you'll
absolutely blow away any competitors
who still feel compelled to meet as
many people as they can. Why?
Because when you call your contacts
back, they'll actually remember who
you are and will be willing to meet
with you again. This is a critical next
step for securing more business.
With all of this in mind, let's take a
look at some specific steps you can
take toward getting more business
from your very next event.
1. Limit the number of contacts
per event. The most important
thing is the quality of the contacts,
which means the type of contact,
the relevance to your business
and interests, how good a
connection you're making and the
individual involved. At a typical
event, five to 10 might be all you
can handle. This may not seem
like a lot of contacts, but it's really
more than enough when you're
talking to the right people. (That's
why it's so important to have a
networking strategy.) If you
attend two events per week,
that's 10 events a month, or 30 to
50 new contacts every 30 days.
Continue to do that over the next
couple of months--while following
up with the people you've met--
and you'll soon have more than
enough high-quality contacts to
keep you busy.
2. Spend five to 10 minutes
talking to and listening to each
person. Just because you're not
handing out your business card to
1,001 people doesn't mean you
should spend 20 minutes talking
to just one individual. Invest a few
minutes to get to know each
person. Make sure to ask for her
business card. Then follow up with
her after the event; this is where
the heavy lifting takes place.
Remember, all we're doing now is
setting the stage for future
business.
3. Write notes on the backs of
people's cards. Not only do notes
help you remember what the
other person said at an event, but
it also slows you down a bit so
you're not running around trying
to meet the next person. On the
front of the card, you can write
the date and name of the event
where you met the person; on the
back, jot down a few quick notes
about the conversation or
anything else of note. When you
contact the person later, this will
give you something to refer to.
Here are a few things to remember
when it comes to meeting new
people:
You're not interested in selling
anything to this person you've just
met; you want to find some way
you can help her. You understand,
of course, that what goes around
comes around, usually in the form
of referrals for your business.
You want to create a visible
identity with everyone you meet.
A visible identity is the answer to
this question: "How can I
differentiate myself, in the mind
of this other person, from the
other five people she's already
met?"
Keeping those two ideas in mind will
give you a leg up when meeting new
contacts. Using these simple
approaches, you'll see an up-tick in
the amount of new business and
referrals you get while networking.