Having set (and not met) my January challenge, I have ended up a month later still exploring and discovering new network events.
This lunchtime was spent in a riverside pub venue at the delightful Peal Network - a very usable mix of informal chatter and a sit-down 'meeting' featuring 1-minute presentations (no silly bells) and an agenda item of 'other network events you would recommend'.
Unfortunately I have now added the TWM Curry club to my schedule - thus moving further from my original goal.
Anyway, having attended events for 2 months solid, I am now obviously a world authority on face-to-face networking, so will share a few practical tips with you:
Tip 1: Never sell at a networking meeting. EVER. Introduce yourself; a brief sentence about what you do and back to them 'how about you - what do you do'. This is entirely counter-intuitive but believe me, it will work. The person you are chatting to might well ask more about your business, which is an invitation to elaborate, but doesn't open the door for your best sales spiel. Keep with me here...
Tip 2: Where possible, target your 'meetings' - quality rather than quantity. 3 good quality conversations can be better value that 12 encounters.
Tip 3: Think about your message. If you have committed to regular attendance (particularly on a weekly basis), you need to evolve your message - sometimes even straying a long way of your normal territory.
The temptation is to provide effectively a list of your products or services. Don't. Take a risk, and tell them just one thing that might be interesting & they will remember you (as someone who said something interesting, rather than the bloke or woman with a list).
Tip 4: Swap cards. Giving out your card is unlikely to yield results but convention dictates that they will reciprocate by handing you theirs - Thereby providing your with valuable information and an invitation to keep in touch.
Tip 4: Follow up! Think about what you want to achieve and go for it. Because you haven't already bored their socks off, you have plenty left to discuss. In a one-to-one meeting, where they won't be looking over your shoulder to see if their colleague / friend / customer has turned up.
They have given you information - use it to target your marketing and database - this is the warmest contact you will ever have!
Obviously I sometimes forget to follow this advice myself, but trust me, it works!
