Ten Tips for Effective Business Networking

With the holidays approaching, business people will be faced with a on-slaught of opportunities to attend business related holiday functions. Below is an article that was previously published that I felt would be timely:

Do you enjoy networking? Many business people dread it. They stand around uncomfortably at events, clutching a drink or hovering near the appetizers, only speaking to people they know. Is this you? How can you make a better use of networking at events when you are uncomfortable doing so? Below is a list of 10 tips to get you up and mingling at events, building contacts and developing relationships.

1.       Dress appropriately. It is easy to feel out of place if you are not dressed correctly for the event.

2.       Be Prepared. Bring a lot of business cards to pass out, information about your business and a pen/paper to make notes of people to follow up.

3.       Arrive early! Usually the hosts come will come and greet you, then you can confide you don’t know anyone and ask the host if they would introduce you to people. This will help you get acquainted, connect you to the event and give you time to feel more comfortable.

4.       Be Gracious.  Is the group you’re approaching open to you joining the conversation? Be aware of people’s body language. If two people are standing very closely together, face to face, and talking, it is probably a private conversation. If one person is standing more open, come into the open space, make eye contact, wait for a break in the conversation and then introduce yourself.

5.       It’s not all about you! When you meet someone, ask open ended questions about them and their business, listen and then see if you have anything to offer them. It’s all about connecting and building a relationship. People love to talk about themselves, so always try to find a connection and build on that.

6.       Facilitate Conversations. Look for people standing by themselves and start a conversation. Most people are actually shy at events, so if you can open up a conversation, you are making things happen for them.

7.       Make connections. Introduce people you know to each other. This will help other people build connections and make you a good networker to invite to events.

8.       Mingle! Don’t just make a bee-line for potential customers. Talk to a variety of people, including your competition.  Networking is an opportunity to meet new people outside your normal circle of life. Remember the law of six degrees of separation.

9.        Exit gracefully. When getting ready to move on, shake hands and say, “It has been so nice to spend a few minutes getting to know you” and, if wanting to pursue the relationship at some other point in time, you can say “let’s get together for coffee and discuss this further” then move on.

10.   Follow up. Did you offer to help someone? Did you want to set up another meeting? Within the next couple of days make a call or send an email to your new contact. Always follow up promptly with any information or to set a time to meet again.

Remember, networking is an art and takes practice.  Do not be shy, spread the wealth and leave events with new contacts for your business! Good-luck!

This article was previously published in the Athens Banner Herald, Athens Ga and BiS Business in Savannah, Savannah Morning News, Savannah GA

Crisis Communications Strategies - Free SBA/Agility Webinar

                 News Advisory

PRESS OFFICE                  

 

Advisory  Date:  April 2, 2013	Contact:  Carol Chastang (202) 205-6987
Advisory Number: MA13-06	Internet Address: http://www.sba.gov/news Follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Blogs

 

Get Tips on Using Social Media for Disaster Recovery

 

Crisis Communications Strategies offered during Free SBA/Agility Webinar

 

WASHINGTON – As Hurricane Sandy battered the Northeast, emergency managers, utility companies and the public relied on social media to share updates on the path of the storm, where shelters would be located, and how to connect with local and federal recovery services.  While social media has become an essential information tool in the midst of a crisis for first responders,  many business owners have yet to develop a social media plan to keep their clients and employees in the loop in the event of a disaster.

 

Organizations typically use online tools to promote their products and services, but it’s a good idea to consider social media as a useful business continuity resource.  

 

Get tips on best practices for creating a crisis communications plan using social media during the April 9 webinar hosted by Agility Recovery Solutions and the U.S. Small Business Administration. 

 

The SBA has partnered with Agility to offer business continuity strategies through its “PrepareMyBusiness” website. Visit www.preparemybusiness.org to access previous webinars and for additional preparedness tips. 

 

The SBA provides disaster recovery assistance in the form of low-interest loans to homeowners, renters, private nonprofits and businesses of all sizes. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov/disaster.

 

 

WHAT:                 “Social Media and Disaster Recovery” - A presentation from Agility CEO Bob Boyd, followed by a question and answer session.

 

WHEN:          Tuesday, April 9, 2013 - 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. EDT

 

HOW:                   Space is limited. Register at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/768488144

 

 

 

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Mark D. Gibson

Georgia District Public Affairs

U.S. Small Business Administration

P.404.331.0100 (Ext. 2 1 5)

F.202-481-0697

 

SBA Offers Webinar Series Promoting Entrepreneurship Education and Small Business Growth

7^th Annual National Entrepreneurship Week

 

February 16-23, 2012

 

WHAT:        The U.S. Small Business Administration will host a series of webinars in recognition of the seventh annual National Entrepreneurship Week.  The emphasis will be on how the next generation of small business owners can leverage crowdfunding as an alternative finance option to start and grow their businesses.

 

WHEN:         February 19-21, 2013, daily at 3:00 p.m. (ET)

WHO:           Webinar topics and presenters are:

Jay Goth, Business Consultant, TriTech Small Business Development Center (SBDC)

Topic: Crowdfunding – Pros and Cons

Tuesday, February 19 at 3:00 p.m.

 

Kevin Lehman, CEO and Co-Founder, Three Revolutions

Topic: Crowdfunding Innovation

Wednesday, February 20 at 3:00 p.m.

 

Ryan Finch, General Manager, Raleigh City Farm

Topic:  Kickstarting an Urban Farm

Thursday, February 21 at 3:00 p.m.

 

HOW:             Audio Conference Login Instructions

 

1.  Dial the AT&T Connect Teleconference Toll-Free Number – 1-888-858-2144

 

2.  Enter your AT&T Access Code – 4259370 (press the # key)

Web Conference Login Instructions

 

1.  Login at www.connectmeeting.att.com

 

2.  Enter “Meeting Number” 1-888-858-2144

 

3.  Enter “Access Code” 4259370

 

4.  Enter “Email Address, First and Last name”

 

5.  Click Submit

 

6.  Click Participant

 

7.  Click Participant Application (Recommended)

 

8.  Click “Enter” Event

 

9.  Click Dial-In/Already Connected by Phone

 

(Close the Telephone Connection Instructions pop-up box)

 

System Requirements:

To set up the AT&T Connect Participant application, a user’s PC must run either Windows 7, Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows Vista, Mac OS X 10.8 or Mac OS X 10.7 with either Internet Explorer 7.0 (or higher) supported.  AT&T Connect does support the Chrome, Safari or Firefox browser.

 

Note:  The phone number is the “meeting number” when logging in to https://www.connectmeeting.att.com.

 

A separate telephone line is needed for the conference call-in portion.

 

For assistance with AT&T Connect Web Conference Service, contact AT&T Connect Customer Care at 1-888-796-6118.

 

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National Entrepreneurship Week (February 16-23, 2013), hosted by the Consortium for Entrepreneurship Education celebrates the heritage of entrepreneurship in America and of entrepreneurship education for the next generation.  For details on this and other events, visit the National Entrepreneurship Week Website at www.entre-week.org/.

 

SBA Launches Affordable Care Act Web Page & Blog

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) today launched a new web page and blog dedicated to educating small business owners about the Affordable Care Act. The new tools will serve as a gateway for small business owners connecting them with information provided by SBA’s federal partners responsible for implementing the law, including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

 

“The Affordable Care Act provides small business owners with access and opportunity to provide affordable health care options for their employees,” said SBA Administrator Karen G. Mills. “SBA’s new Affordable  Care Act web page and blog will serve as a resource for small business owners who want learn more about how to take advantage of these benefits.”

The Affordable Care Act has many beneficial measures specifically for small businesses, including slowing premium cost growth and increased access to quality, affordable health insurance. SBA’s new web page, www.sba.gov/healthcare, breaks down the key provisions of the Act based on business size in the following categories: self-employed, fewer than 25 employees, fewer than 50 employees and more than 50 employees. 

The web page also provides links to other useful information for small businesses, including a glossary of key health care reform terms, an interactive timeline with dates for when certain reforms will be implemented, a state-by-state breakdown of health care options, and how to learn more about specific tax provisions and regulations. Additional resources will be added as they become available.

The blog, entitled Health Care Business Pulse (www.sba.gov/blog), will provide small business owners with continuous updates about the implementation of the Act. The blog is for informational purposes only and is not intended as legal or tax advice. Readers should consult their legal or tax professionals to discuss how specific matters relate to their individual business circumstances.

How to Work a Trade Show Like a Pro

Every business has some type of association and association's host trade shows. My experience with trade shows has been that they are an opportunity to connect with people that you may have difficulty setting up an appointment with. Often, decision makers are attending the shows and have more time to meet one-on-one. If you plan to exhibit at a trade show, start promoting the fact to your customers well in advance of the trade show's date, preferably 4 to 6 months. Promotion can be done via Face Book, Linked In, Twitter or email blasts. Personally send out invitations to key potential customers to stop by your booth or set up an appointment to meet with them, about a month in advance of the show. If you are not exhibiting, but just walking the floor, make sure your customers know you will be there and request time to meet. A day before any scheduled appointments or meetings, send out a courtesy reminder to your customers.

Follow up is very important as well! After meeting with a customer, always send out a thank you note describing your discussions and any agreed upon action items. If they missed the meeting, when following up with them say they were missed and request a time to bring any trade show samples, materials, or give aways to them personally.

If you are not exhibiting at a show, but just walking the show, make sure to have a list of the people you are trying to meet and go to their booths to ask for them. How do you know if a customer will be attending a show? Look at the previous year's exhibitor list or check out their company website. Sometimes the information will be posted, as they want their customers to know they will be at the show as well!

Remember to always keep a list of potential new customers you have met at the trade show and follow up with them within two weeks of the show's close. Send a personal note stating it was nice to make their acquaintance along with any collateral information or action items that were discussed. Add them to your data base and follow up with them regularly!

Trade shows can be expensive and time consuming, so before exhibiting it may be a good idea to attend first and see what it is all about. You can meet a lot of people walking a show. Remember to bring marketing materials and samples with you to show potential customers.

If you are nervous about attending a national trade show for the first time, try attending a regional or local show to work out any kinks in your elevator pitch and marketing materials. Trade shows are a great way to build relationships, network and develop new business.

Relax, enjoy and good luck!






Questions, comments or concerns? Leave me a post and let's discuss!