Networking three years ago was probably the most neglected subject of my career. I had the IQ of just about a zero. Perhaps subconsciously I figured if I gave someone a business card that they would connect with me. Little did I know that most everyone else also behave in the same way. I began to realize about year ago that people are not necessarily proactive when it comes to their network. The mentality for us all is what is in it for me. If you can provide them with a good reason to connect, often showing a little interest, then they are more likely to stay in touch with you. Here is how I go about networking before, during, and after the event.
1) I plan and think about the networking opportunities before I go. This isn’t extensive and takes just a little work.
- I look to see who is going. I do this by looking at the website that might reference attendees which is a perfect opportunity to start the networking. Try to reach out to those people through email, Twitter, or Linkedin as is appropriate. You don’t want to harass people but let them know you will be there and would like to meet up with them.
- I also think about how and what I am going to say about my career. Most people are going to ask you about your career. It is the perfect opportunity to focus on the key points. Practicing this helps you be concise. Make it short and to point. Having a couple of ideas and trying different approaches is good to see how people respond.
- I set a goal of people I want to meet. If the meeting is short then make new contacts your main goal and then allow for a couple of familiar faces. If it is hours then you have a lot more time to say hi to both new and familiar faces.
- Bring enough business cards for the event. If there are lots of people then you can plan to have plenty of cards. In a few hours I like to connect with at least 40-50 people. That gives me enough time to find out what they do.
2) During the event I take into action the plan I started with. This is only helpful if you think about it and once you have a plan it is easier to execute at further events. Here is how I go about networking during the evening.
- First I show up early/on time as much as possible. This helps me maximize the most of the event. I am able to skip the lines for registration and the beverage line or whatever else that might keep me from networking and I stay nearly up to the end.
- Second I focus on people I knew I wanted to talk to. Not spending to much time looking for them is the biggest problem in a large crowd.
- Third I look for wanders and loners. This helps you to connect with them briefly. The one thing that you have to be careful of with these people is that they may take too much of your time. Not that you don’t want to spend time with them. You just are to connect. Life long friends can be for latter.
- Fourth, I target small groups that look like they can handle one more person. Here is where you have to over come your fears. I step in and wait for a moment to see what they are talking about. If it interrupts the conversation then I say I hope I am not interrupting. Most people are polite and say oh no it’s fine and the conversation continues. The difficulty is that these small groups often are a few people who know each other. So try to contribute to the conversation so you have something to be remembered by on their part. You are going to remember them.
- Fifth, I ask for the business card. People won’t always think to ask because maybe they are having fun with their friends. If they don’t have a business card you still give them yours and then write their name down. I use my phone for this since its small and I carry it with me everywhere. The thing I am still working on is connecting with people on Linkedin before I even leave the conversation.
3) The mourning after in networking. The follow up is where a lot of people fall down. In fact, many business never follow up even with the connections they have after conferences. You think this is intuitive but many people don’t take the time. Here is what I do.
- I start by going to Linkedin and attempt to connect with the people that I have business cards. In each email I send them a personalized message. Something like “It was great to meet you at the ABC networking event. I had a great time talking with you about XYZ. I wanted to connect with you online. (Here is where I often ask a question). Not every one will answer but that allows a little bit of a dialogue. Then I close with my name and my company.
- Next I try to cover the people who I didn’t have business cards for. Finding them is usually easy as long as you’ve taken notes back at the networking event.
- Finally I try to follow up with people that don’t have a Linkedin profile. I will look at twitter or send them an email just to say it was great meeting you.
After all is said and done I’ve grown my network. At the next event I repeat the process and if I played it right I have more people to say hi to next time the event happens and I am able to meet more contacts.
Are there things you do to help grow connections in a quick and easy way? What kind of suggestions would you provide to those looking to do a better job networking?