Six Tips for Networking at an Event

One of the tried and true ways of getting business and creating real sustainable relationships.

Here are six tips to help you while attending an event:

Be casual

No one enjoys a hard sell. Networking is not about getting a quick close, it is about building relationships, and the fastest way to do that is by getting people to genuinely like you. You want them walking away having had a positive interaction with you. If you find a topic both of you enjoy, stick with it for a bit and continue to build that rapport. The main reason that someone will want to do business with you is that they like you. Honestly, you don’t even need the best product as long as they trust you.

Listen to what the other person is saying

So how do you get someone to like you besides common ground? You listen to them. People like to talk about themselves and what they are working on. Keep in mind it is not just listening, but active listening. Don’t nod your head and mumble, ask engaging questions surrounding whatever they are doing — How did you get into this? Who are your target customers? Etc.

Some of the best ways to be well versed in many areas are to read the newspaper and online articles. I recently read an article about an industry that I know nothing about, the motorcycle industry, and how it was in decline. I don’t know anyone in that industry, and there wasn’t an immediate benefit to me reading it, but it looked intriguing. The funny thing? I later met a CEO that happened to have a startup in that industry, and was looking to diversify into new spaces to keep their growth going.

The benefit of me being able to ask follow-up questions specific to his industry was monumental, and it gained me a new contact.

Bring Business Cards

Imagine you are at an event, and you have an incredible conversation with someone, and you want to keep in touch. The easiest and cleanest exit out of the conversation is by exchanging business cards. If you do not have a business card, it becomes this awkward dance of trying to either find each other on LinkedIn while standing there, or trying to write down an email address. Neither of these tactics shows professionalism. There is no excuse for not having a business card to hand out at an event. You can visit vistaprint.com or moo.com and pick up 100 at minimal cost.

Set goals

As with everything you need to set goals when attending a networking event. If you do not, the entire event will most likely be a waste of time.

Goals can include:

I will talk to twenty people and get twenty business cards during my two hours at the event

I will have five in-depth, relationship-building conversations

I will set an appointment with a prospect

I will have a conversation with a person I have been targeting

Politely get out of a conversation that isn’t valuable

Not every conversation you are going to have is useful. Listen for a bit and wait for a break in the conversation, then politely excuse yourself. If you get stuck talking to someone for 30-minutes, and you aren’t trying to build a relationship with them, you have wasted too much time.

Be comfortable with being uncomfortable

Most people aren’t comfortable at these events. It gets easier the more you do it, especially when you start seeing familiar faces. But the first couple of times you go, it will be uncomfortable. That is ok as it means you are doing something right.

If you attend an event with someone you know, do not get stuck talking to them the entire time. You are at a networking event to broaden your network and engage with new people. It will be uncomfortable to walk away from them, but that is how you are going to succeed.

Lucas is the founder of Spark xyz, platform management software for incubators, accelerators, Angel groups, and VC’s.