How to Make the Most of Networking. In Blackboard Fridays Episode 122, Jacob talks about Marketing and Sales. Need this implemented into your business? Talk to the international business advisor who can do exactly that – Contact Jacob, Learn More, or Subscribe for Updates.
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Since April 2006, I’ve been an international business advisor providing bespoke solutions for privately-owned businesses with 12-96 employees.
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Transcript
It comes as a surprise to a lot of people to learn that I am an introvert.
But don’t confuse the energy I bring on camera or on the stage with the energy I bring, or receive, from real life interactions with other human beings. I find networking events, attending a lot of functions, to be quite exhausting: it’s not what I do to replenish my energy, unlike an extrovert who actually needs some of that engagement to top themselves up.
In this article I wanted to share that context with you so that you understand that when I talk through some of the tips tricks and strategies you can apply to get the most out of networking events you understand this hasn’t been created by somebody who does this naturally. This has been created by somebody, me, who spent many years struggling to work with these events and to actually justify whether to go at all.
Do You Want to Build a Network?
“Networking” is often poorly understood, especially by people who don’t naturally want to spend hours chatting with strangers. The error is treating it as a verb, when in reality it’s a noun: You HAVE a Network, you don’t DO Networking.
And since you have a Network today, the first questions you need to ask yourself when it comes to events is “Do I want to build my network? And why?”
What is the purpose of having a network for your business and your team? The two main reasons that I have found for me and my business are around creating opportunities, opportunities for clients and to referrals, and also for raising my profile. Both of those are small investments in my business that could pay dividends in the future.
Activity breeds activity. Sometimes getting out of your office, going to an event, going and having a coffee meeting, doing that kind of activity spurs on even more activity that ultimately leads to the work that you’re chasing or the ideal client that you may desire.
So if you don’t have enough going on, there is definitely a benefit in going along to events to create that activity. If you have a business model that requires constant new clients (Family Law for example), this activity may need to be constant and like any lead generation activity it benefits from consistency. I’ve never been enamoured by the many networking groups that meet weekly for breakfast, but that’s partly because I’m an introvert and partly because I might only take on 2-4 new clients in a whole year – the ROI just isn’t there.
Networking without Networking Events
Given you already have a network, connections, relationships, sometimes if you’re struggling to justify going to a networking event you may need to ask yourself “What can I do with my existing network to deepen those relationships, rather than going out here and creating a whole lot of new ones?“
You may find 1-on-1 conversations, so say coffee meetings and catchups, deliver a much better impact than going out to large events.
But if your existing network isn’t big enough, isn’t creating enough opportunity, then you absolutely do need to go and fish in new ponds, and networking events can be a great way to do so. In part, formal networking events are great because everybody else there is also looking to create new relationships.
Turn Networking Event Investment into Actual Returns
So if you’re going to go to a networking event, how do you make the most of it and not waste your energy and your time. Here are the six key tips that I will share.
- Why are YOU here?
- Why are THEY here?
- Wallflowers
- Extraction
- Be Early / Stay Late
- Thank the Host
1. Why are you at this Networking Event?
The first of those is to make sure you are really clear about why you’re going to this event – I started this article about knowing why you want to grow your network at all, but now you must specifically answer for yourself “Why this event?”
Make sure you are investing time in networking events that actually overlap with your areas of interest or your target clients. There’s no point going to a Knitting Class if you’re in the business of selling Arms to Iran, you’re just not going to get an overlap of the network you need to build even if you add three people to your LinkedIn profile.
So why are you going – and be clear on that. For example, “I’m looking for introductions”, “I’m looking for new clients”, “I’m looking for referral partner opportunities”, or maybe “I’m just looking to learn”.
2. Why are THEY at this Networking Event?
And this segues in to step number two. When you meet people, when you create a conversation do not please sit there and ask them what they do, where they live, or how long they’ve been in business. Those are boring questions and they’re also not helpful.
They’re not helpful for them.
They’re not helpful for you.
The question you want to ask people when you meet them at these events is “Why are you here?” “What brought you along to this event this evening?” “What are you hoping to get out of tonight?”
Because that will open up a conversation.
You may discover that the two of you are looking for complementary things – fantastic, a new relationship! Or as you go around of an evening and make other new connections, you can start connecting people. “You’re here because you want to sell your graphic design services, and that person over there is here because they’re looking for a graphic designer. You two need to meet.”
Creating those kind of opportunities improves your profile enormously.
3. Target Wallflowers and 4 Master Extractions
If you are struggling to start up a conversation, two skills that I recommend are the Wallflowers and the Extraction.
Wallflowers. There will almost always be people at networking events who are hugging a wall, checking their phone, drinking a drink on their own. This used to be introverted me.
They’re also struggling to strike up a conversation, which means they’re perfect for you to go and start talking to. Now, they’re probably not the best connected people at the event, but they are made the effort to attend and are here looking for something – so they will be incredibly grateful that you have opened up the conversation.
If you’re ever struggling and you want someone that you know will be engaged, go looking for the wallflowers.
Then get very good at the art of Extraction. When you’re in conversation with somebody at these events, don’t get stuck talking one-on-one to that one person for the entire evening, unless it is an incredibly productive conversation. You’ve just wasted the purpose of going to a group event.
If you’re an extrovert, if you’re a natural people person, you may do this subconsciously and you probably don’t even realise that this is necessary. I’m happy for you, but for the rest of us here are a couple of simple little tricks for the art of extraction:
- Never standing face-on on with somebody in conversation. Always stand at an angle, creating this open space for other people to come and to go in your conversation group.
- As other people come into the conversation, use that as an opportunity to extract yourself and move on.
- Get good at finding / saying some of the reasons you are exiting a conversation. “I’m going to go and grab another drink”. “I’m going to go to the bathroom”.
- Or even the most honest extraction technique, “I’m going to go mingle” – which is a very, very straightforward way of saying “Let’s end this conversation, I’m going to go meet some other people because I’m at a networking event”.
Don’t feel bad about wrapping up this conversation to mingle, because you are there to mingle.
5. Be Early and/or Stay Late
“Be early/stay late”, is a nice way to get to know some of the people.
A lot of the conversations and values at networking events don’t happen in the middle when the room is packed. They happen at the start when there’s only a few people to talk to, and they happen at the end with the stragglers who are hanging around.
So make your plans to either get to an event early or stay late to maximize those conversations.
6. Thank the Host
And then the last tip that I would give you is to make sure you thank the host, at the beginning and at the end if at all possible, because if there’s one person at this event who is ridiculously well-connected, it’s the person who organized it.
Getting in their good graces and making sure they know why you’re here will help maximize the benefits that you get from the event. There’s a saying that your network determines your net worth. I am a true believer, even as an introvert, that the more connected you are the better your commercial outcomes in business will be.
Arriving early, thanking the host, letting them know why (specifically) you are here, and perhaps even noting ‘I’m not great at meeting people but I’m making the effort’ could very well lead to a number of meaningful introductions throughout the evening that even the greatest networkers would envy.
Build Your RAP Sheet
Maybe you love networking events and this helps with sharpening the saw, or maybe this is all new to you. Either way, develop your RAP sheet.
(R) Reputation. Making sure that people know you, the way you want to be known. They understand you, your business, what makes you special.
(A) Authenticity, be yourself. There’s no point building a relationship by pretending to be somebody else because that relationship is always going to feel like hard work.
(P) Presence. Make sure you’re actually doing enough at these events, and to follow up these events to continue to be a presence in the lives of your network. They won’t forget you.
Whether networking events are a great strategy for you or just something that you want to try, I hope you can understand why they can be advantageous, why they may not be the right thing for you.
If you’re going to go along, understand that there are some tips that you can use to get the most out of them, and ongoing develop that RAP sheet to improve your business.
Next Steps
Want to learn more about how this can apply to your business? It costs nothing to chat:
- Email me jacob@jacobaldridge.com (I read them all)
- Call, Text, or WhatsApp me +61 427 151 181
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