Know what you want from an event. Again this sounds like an obvious one but many people turn up at an event and don't really have any expectations of what they want to achieve by attending.
You're spending your precious time and resources on being there, so it makes sense to get the most from it.
This doesn't mean pressing your business card firmly into the hands of everyone you meet.
It doesn't mean giving a sales pitch to as many people as possible.
It doesn't mean speaking to every single person in the room - you'll be lucky if you speak to half a dozen new people at any one event.
If you really want to maximise the number of people you talk to, then go along to a Speed Networking Event. Here you're more likely to meet everyone who's in the room and at least find out a little about all of them.
Decide what you want before you get there.
Plan to meet a certain number of new people.Plan to reconnect with people you know.Plan to meet one or two key contacts if you know who's going.If you're sent a list of attendees - make a note of who you want to talk to before you get there. Perhaps there are people you recognise or people you'd like to talk to.
To get the most out of your networking, spend a little time preparing for your meetings:
Get yourself a name badge. Sometimes networking events will provide you with name badges which gives you one less thing to remember. A simple one you can slot your business card into is useful, as long as the name on your card is easily readable. People are impressed with a smart name badge rather than a hand-scrawled sticky label or none at all.
Take plenty of business cards. Yes, I know that's obvious but people still turn up at events with no business cards or run out because they don't have enough.
Have a notebook and pen with you. You'll probably want to take notes of who you meet, useful information, opportunities for sharing contacts. Write it in your notebook or on the back of their business card.
Think about what you're going to say. Not only to the standard question ?... and what do you do?? but also to generate conversation with the people you meet. Practise saying what you do in a clear, concise way. One or two sentences is fine.
Get there on time. There's nothing worse than arriving late when people are already in full flow. It's good to arrive early and then you can easily introduce yourself to both the meeting organisers and to the first few people who are likely to be there early. You'll have a head start on the others.
Carry a business card with you at all times. You never know where or when you'll have an opportunity to offer help or your services. It doesn't always happen in organised events.
Where's the most unusual place you've been networking?
Clare Evans is the author of a time management book. She is a personal and business coach and enables individuals and business owners to get more out of their day and make better use of their time.
How good is your Time Management - find out in my FREE Time Audit and get free articles, information, tips and resources when you register for her free newsletter http://www.clareevans.co.uk/
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