If you’re a small business owner, networking in your community is a great way to grow your business organically. Networking will increase brand awareness, you can ask for referrals, grow your word-of-mouth advertising, and connect with other business owners in the area.
For some people, walking into a room of strangers and making friends comes easily. For others, it can be quite daunting. Below are some helpful tips to remember when attending a networking event.
Some networking events are free, while others require a membership. Always check your city to see if you can join the Chamber of Commerce.
Business Network International (BNI) groups and other paid memberships are valuable because they typically only allow one business to join per industry. Also, check social media to see if there are any networking groups you can join.
Before you attend an event, sit down and write out what you hope to achieve. Is the goal to find new customers, secure potential referral partners, or maybe just learn more about the industry? What’s measurable is manageable.
You can typically research ahead of time who will be attending the event, as many events provide lists of attendees and/or speakers in advance. Use this information to connect with the people who will provide value and synergy with your brand.
Find them on LinkedIn or Facebook, familiarize yourself with their work, or find common connections. This will help you break the ice when engaging in conversation.
Practice makes perfect! You typically only have a few minutes to get your pitch across, and first impressions are lasting. Practice in front of the mirror or with a family member.
Show up a few minutes early repping your company’s branded gear. It’s human nature to judge appearances, and wearing a nice polo shirt or button-down will become a reflection of the business in general before you have even said a word.
This means being an active listener. You will gain more from conversations if you are listening twice as much as you are talking. Showing genuine interest in other people’s business will show you are engaged in the conversation, not just there to try and make a sale.
This is arguably the most important aspect of networking is following up promptly. Call or email people you met within 48 hours to let them know you appreciated the connection and enjoyed learning about their business.
This can be a good opportunity to ask for a referral or see if there’s synergy to do business together.
Share updates or insights you learned from the event on your social media page. Add people you met and tag people/companies to extend your reach.
Lastly, take time to reflect on how the event went. Who did you meet that was most valuable? How did your elevator pitch sound? Was this group the right type of people you want to be connecting with?
Continuous improvement will help you become more effective at networking events to help achieve your professional goals.
