Business Networking How-to Guide

1.  Don't go about this in a random way.  Target who you want to meet in person or when networking online.

Better to not "spray and pray" by attending all sorts of business meetings hoping that you may meet new customers or clients.  That will waste a lot of time.  Instead, think about who your ideal customer or client is and do some research to learn what events and meetings they attend.  Then focus your networking efforts on specific events or trade-group functions where your ideal customer will be.  

Here's a great tip about networking, "I have found the best way to network is to target 'exactly' who you want to meet. I find my best contacts through trade journal articles and magazines along with studies conducted by research groups. I see an article. It quotes people I believe I should meet and get to know. I find them on the web. I read about them first and then I send along an introductory email either through legitimate online connection sites (LinkedIn for example) or using other methods. If a person has done their homework and knows what they want out of the connection, it works - almost every time. And when it doesn't I always ask/say, 'Please give me the names/numbers of a few people who think my services/products could benefit." And I move on from there. What's the absolute worst thing someone can say: "No, sorry can't help you.' And to me that's not so bad." 

2.  Be proactive and intentional to make networking a priority. 

If you want to be sure to exercise three times a week, you intentionally put that on your calendar.  Do the same for networking.  Schedule it.

Write down "to do" lists for yourself at the beginning of each month for each week.  Who will you proactively call, email or contact?  What will you say to show interest and help them?

What events will you go to each month?  Each week?  Put these on your calendar!

TIP: Great insight from an article in Fast Company on the Four-Year Career.

"Even those who run professional networks, like Trunk and Touby, recoil at the term networking. "I hate networking," says Touby. "The people who network are desperate, needy. It's the last straw." What should you do instead? Maintain a wide range of relationships with people you actually like. Time was, says Touby, having the boss over for dinner was a networking coup. Today, it may be more helpful to get the receptionist's Twitter handle. "An hour a day spent on your social network is a huge investment in yourself," she says.

3.  Set a goal for what you expect from each meeting. Your goals should vary from meeting to meeting. Maybe you want to learn something new, meet new prospects, or connect with peers.

4.  Target specific people you want to get to know and network with.  Then invest time in nurturing those relationships.  Try to meet and get to know people who are "connectors" who know a lot of people in the group you are attending and have an outgoing personality and willingness to introduce you to relevant connections.  Learn more about "connectors" by reading the book The Tipping Point.

TIP: Great tips from Duke University professor Howie Rhee that he shared on a blog post.  "Why is networking important?  There is a highly cited concept that Mark Granovetter published on called the "Strength of Weak Ties".  Basically it says that there's a lot of value in "weak ties", or the friends of friends.  Many people believe that you get a job, not through a good friend (a "strong tie"), but through the friend of friends ("weak ties").  The takeaway?  You need to identify, build, and reach out to these weak ties, or else they won't know that you exist.

I think the key to networking is to find those people that are willing to help you, develop a real relationship with them (one that you could see continuing for years) as opposed to thinking of it as a transaction (just help me get a job right now), and do your best to provide some value to them." 

 

5.  Get to know the event organizer and anyone on the board that is putting on the meeting or event.  They know who is who and who can help you.  They are generally "connector types" who can introduce you to relevant connections. Help them by encouraging people to attend future events, make relevant introductions, post positive things online about their events, volunteer to help. 

Where can you meet people for business networking?

TIP:  See this List of Business Networking Sites and Organizations

6.  When you go to events and meet people, know what you say about yourself.

Practice how you will describe what you do in an interesting way that will evoke someone to ask questions and remember you in a positive way.

• Perfecting your elevator pitch (what you say to someone when you only have a few moments, like in the elevator or when someone asks you what you do)

• Branding yourself (personal branding)

TIP:  make sure you can express what you do in a clear, 15-second sound bite, such as "I help my clients reduce employee turnover" or "I create websites that work for people with mobile phones" or "I'm an attorney who specializes in software patents."  If someone is interested, they'll then ask you some questions and give you permission to tell them more.  Be prepared to follow up with a quick, impressive story about a project you've successfully completed.  Ask for their business card. 

7.  Create "marketing cards" 

These cards don't have your personal information on them.  Instead, they act like "mini ads" to give to people you want to know about your company, product or service. 

They have your website address, company (or product or service) name and key information.  If you want people to come into your store or office, they should also include a map, hours and directions.  Here's an example a card like this that we created about MarketingZone.  These can be folded cards or 2-sided cards. 

• How to create and print business cards explains how to make marketing cards and regular business cards. 

TIP:  Use LinkedIn Mobile - LinkedIn has a mobile application. If you haven’t already downloaded it to your smart phone, go to your app store and download it for free. The LinkedIn mobile app is useful at a trade show or an event where you’re making one-on-one contacts. During a conversation with a prospect, ask them to turn on LinkedIn on their smart phone. Then, bump your phones together lightly. If they have their settings correct, then LinkedIn will transfer your contact information between phones using Bluetooth. No typing, no misspelled words -- just instant transfer of information.  Pretty cool!

 

Next page:  what to do at events, get involved, get referrals

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