Networking Article from Networking Today Canada, Nat'l
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Networking…The Best Marketing Weapon in Tough Economic Times! Part Two
Making Your Networking Work
The first rule is to show up early so you have more time to network. Typically there is about 30 minutes of free time before the speaker or lunch/dinner is served and if you arrive early you won’t be waiting in line at the registration table and will have more time to meet people.
Move around and meet more people. With practice you will be able to subtly finish a conversation with one person and smoothly move on to another. The idea of networking isn’t to see how many business cards you can hand out at a single event, it is about having quality conversations with people you can help and vice versa.
If you come to the event with someone, leave him/her at the door!
I have witnessed people being joined at the hip at networking events. They drive there together, come in together, sit beside each other, laugh together, walk around the room together, network with each other and I have even seen them go to the restroom together. What is the point?
Talk on the way to and from the event but when you get there spread out; don’t sit at an empty table. Make valuable use of the 30 minutes you have. You can’t meet everyone at the event so you must pick and choose whom you are going to approach. You have to ask yourself what kind of person you want to meet. Once the event starts and you sit down at the table, be sure to shake everyone’s hand at the table and introduce yourself. It will create a snowball effect and everyone with continue to do the same. Take initiative.
Business Cards
They are an essential tool for your business. Make sure your cards are current (no scratching out phone numbers, very unprofessional).
When someone hands you a business card, be sure to say thank you as she hands over her business information, take it seriously. I always make notes on the back of the card such as, what the person looked like, what we spoke of, where we met as this helps me in future meetings. When I get home I take the cards out of my purse immediately and file them or put them in my data base. The most common mistake people make is gathering cards and leaving them in a pile on their desk. Weeks later you won’t remember why you have the card or where you met the person.
Remember, at networking events it is not how many cards you give out. At an event recently I was in the middle of a conversation with two other members and this man came up and said “excuse me here is my card,” handed us a card and kept going around the room. There was no rapport built in that transaction so the likelihood of keeping the card is minimal. The business card only has value once you have built rapport, found something in common with the card holder, or have determined how you can help each other.
For Part One: Create Relationships & Build Rapport click here.
For Part Three: What Type of Events Are You Attending? click here.
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Like everyone else in her family, Lori Raudnask started out as an employee but after 11 years realized her heart and soul was not in it. Despite her family and friends advice, she decided to try being an entrepreneur and took the plunge. That was 23 years ago. Lori is a go-getter with a mission to help others do the same! She believes people give up too easy because they don’t see the value of persistence. Persistent People Succeed! That is why she wrote the book “Persistence Pays – How Getting What You Want is Easier Than You Think.” For more information about Lori Raudnask visit www.persistencepays.ca.
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