Everybody knows how important networking is and much has been written about the benefits of networking when you’re hoping to create business leads and satellite sources.
The problem is, you’re unlikely to receive any of those benefits if you don’t make effective connections then follow up after contact is made.
If you’re doing the following, your networking skills may need polishing:
- Arriving unprepared. Do you really want to walk up to a CEO and ask them about the weather? Research the keynote speakers and if a list of attendees is available, select a short-list of five people you want to meet and stick to it. Once you’ve connected with those five, the rest (as they say) is gravy.
- Running out of things to say. When you approach the person you want to meet, sometimes the conversation stalls after a while. Avoid this with a simple look at the person’s Linkedin profile, which should give you 2-3 interesting topics to talk about. Write them down on your short-list. And they don’t have to be work-related, btw. If you see an interest of theirs matches one of yours, there’s an important talking point.
- Arriving late. It’s much easier to meet a keynote speaker or panelist before he/she speaks on stage, rather than after the presentation when you’ll have to line up and wait your turn. In addition, the later you arrive the more other attendees already have connected. It will feel more like you are invading other people’s conversations. When you arrive early, people are more open to conversation and have more time available for doing it.
- Playing “Hard to Get.“ You may think you’re giving the object of your network aspirations some space, but the problem with this approach is your aloofness may come across as arrogance. There is nothing wrong with smiling at someone if your eyes meet at a networking event. There are people who need encouragement and won’t approach, so why not say ‘hi’ first and invite that person to join your conversation?
- Failing to follow Up. Here’s the good news: By following up, you will be one of the few people who do. But there’s an art to the follow-up, and in broad strokes, here it is:
- Express gratitude for the time the other person took to get acquainted. It can involve saying something as simple as “Thank you again for your time and insights yesterday.” A timely, gracious expression of thanks means a lot.
- Highlight the insight or information you found most interesting. The point here is to get specific, which lets the subject know that you were listening to them while being genuinely interested in what you both talked about.
- Ask if you can “touch base” again later; then do it. People who do this nearly always get an affirmative response. But don’t wait too long or you’ll be a distant memory.
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