One of the key ways businesses or people for that matter can grow is by meeting new people or ‘networking’. It can be a huge time suck if not done correctly and a waste of time if you do not have a plan of action. Why would you spend the time networking if you didn’t have a course of action to return your investment. Remember investment is not just capital, but time and other resources that you may give up doing so. 

Here is a step-by-step approach to getting your business on!

First things first. You have to be different. When you go to a networking event, it’s just that, networking. Which is meeting new people. You do not want to meet someone and immediately try to close the deal. Why? When was the last time you bought something from a stranger? You don’t have a ton of time to convince someone you are legit, think about a commercial when you are watching television. You have to get them quickly. Most folks head to a networking event to close the deal, make the sale or as I will call it, look like a fool.

Be different.

How? Make a new friend. Your entire networking should be geared towards creating new relationships, not customers. Yes, I know you want to grow your business, but trust me. Closing the deal takes time. People need to trust you. People trust friends. 

1. It may mean not going to a ‘networking event’

Networking can be done online or through introductions. The approaches below can be executed by any medium whether online or in-person. 

2. Who is your target audience?

Do you know who you want to meet? The first guess would be people in your industry. That may be wrong. You probably want to find people who need what your industry provides. 

3. Look through events. Get the guest list. Create a list of directories that provide events. 

• Local business journals
• meetup.com <=== very educational forum. typically a social event or education workshop
• Eventbrite
• Social network event feeds (search events on Twitter or Facebook: try key industry words like marine port logistics events in Cheyenne, Wyoming)
• Chamber of Commerce in your city 
• Industry expert Calendars — example: The Fit Petite (many industry experts have an event calendar of events in their industry)
• Google: search for key industry terms + your city + event

 

• Other Networking Events (note: I find this is one of the worst places to find people as it’s typically sales staffs looking to pass out their business cards instead of creating relationships)

4. You HAVE to get out of the house/office

One cannot expect that stronger networking will just happen. Stop reading this post now and get out! Go meet people! Well, finish the post first 🙂

5. How Many people do you want to meet? Reach Out Before Event. 

Just pick a number and try to achieve it. If the event is 120 minutes long and you want to meet 4 people, that means you can have a 30-minute conversation 4 times.

Once you decide what event you want to attend, make a list of the top people you want to meet at this event. You can do this by asking the event organizer for the attendees list or by searching the registration page for who has signed up.

Send the people on your list a note before the event and let them know that you are attending and would love to chat. 

Email Template: 

Subject Line: See you at [event]?

Hey [name], 

I see you are going to [event]. I love what you are doing with [specific topic or business (compliment here/positive reinforcement)]. I hope we get a chance to chat while at the event. 

Take Care

6. Jump up and down. Smile. It’s Go Time!

You are now finally at the event, can you believe it was all this prep just did get to the stickin’ event?! Now that you are there, remember, your goal is to create a relationship with the people you meet. Do not sell. Instead, try to learn as much about these people as possible. You can ask questions like

• What do you do for a living?
• What is a day like for you?
• What did you study at school? (If you did your homework, you know this and can ask a follow up about a topic you found about this school) People love talking about their journeys. 
• How did you get into this career?

If you get into industry-specific conversation try:

• What are the biggest challenges in your industry?
• How do you do X?
• What has been the coolest part of doing this?

I know what you are thinking, I get afraid when I meet new people. We all do! But if you want something, you have to go get it. Even if it makes you uncomfortable. Don’t be nervous. Just be you! 

7. Rinse and Repeat until the event is over 

While you may have 60 minutes for the event and your goal is to meet 5 people, which would give you 12 minutes per conversation. Do not look at your clock or rush the conversation. If you have to miss one new connection, that is okay. You can reach out to them after the event and try to connect for a quick 7-minute phone call. 

How do you get out of a bad interaction or one that isn’t going anywhere?

This happens more often than not. The easiest thing to do is to stop interacting. Example: Stop providing more information or asking additional questions. Instead, say, ‘It was so great to meet you, here is my business card. I’d love to provide you more details when I get back to my office.’ Typically, that works. If not, try the bathroom gag or fake answer your phone. I know, cheesy but you have business to tend to! 

Things not to do at the event:

• Pull out your cell phone (unless you are trying to get out a bad encounter)
• Talk Sales
• Don’t hand out a business card until the end. Here is an example of sealing the deal. 

‘I’d love to provide you with my information (pull out card now), so I can send you more details on what we talked out.’ <=== now they expect more info. Still no sales. Just providing additional information.

8. Follow up

Yes, you cannot expect to do all that prep, go to the event to then not do anything with it. The battle has just begun! Here is a template you can use to follow-up:

Email Subject Line: Great to meet you [name] at [event]
Hey [name], 

Enjoyed talking. I wanted to send you the info we talked about. Please find links or attachments below

1. link
2. someone’s info
3. etc

I look forward to seeing you at more events in the future

Cheers, 

As you can see. Still no sale. Why, because everyone tries to sell too, hard too fast. What makes you different is that you actually care about learning from someone else. You are spending your time creating a relationship. Even if you do not get direct business from these networking events, you created a business opportunity because they can introduce you to their network. The more people that pitch you, the more likely you are to grow and scale your business. 

What are you waiting for? You’ve got some business to tend too! 

 

Additional Info:

I did a Periscope on this topic a few weeks back, I’ve uploaded it to YouTube, you can view it here, it’s a show we call An Accountant and a Marketer.