7/5/11
In today’s advertising heavy world I’ve strayed away from some traditional types of advertising. An area that I’ve been emphasizing has been networking. I attend two to four networking events a week. Time after time I’m asked if this is an effective way to generate business. My standard answer is yes! But you have to have your heart into it and be dedicated to networking. I’ve frequently been asked for some tips….so I’ve decided to share them here:
1. Don’t sell! Seriously! Networking is about building relationships. It fine to educate people about what you do, but don’t sell
2. Build relationships, don’t sell. Had to share this again. I go to events assuming I may not meet anyone new. It’s an opportunity to catch up with a group of great people, over time I’ve built good relationships with them and now they freely refer me to friends and colleagues.
3. Listen, listen, listen! Etiquette is important, be patient and don’t interrupt people
4. Ask questions, preferably open ended questions. Open ended questions keep the conversation flowing and help to avoid the dreaded silence.
5. People like to talk about themselves, if you ask questions that you are interested in you will learn a lot and allow someone to indulge in sharing information about themselves.
6. Be yourself have fun, enjoy the social aspect of networking.
7. Introduce people you know to new people you have met, making someone new feel like part of the group goes a long way!
8. Participate in/with the organizations that hold the networking events. If they have a board or need volunteers help out. You will get a chance to build better relationships with people and you may get some free PR out of it.
These are just a few tips I wanted to share. If you have any questions feel free to call me at (630) 289-7082.
-Mike
