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
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