How to get the most out of your networking meetups and contacts
It has never been easier for us to connect & share with others as it is in today’s world. From the endless opportunities presented by social media to the numerous events that happen every week in our areas, meeting new people has never been this easy. But for most people, translating these connections to meaningful networks has proven to be difficult. If you’re one of those people with thousands of mute followers, hundreds of business cards tucked away in the cabinet, member of 30 Whatsapp & Facebook groups, and 1000 phone contacts but have little to show for it all, this article is for you.
Before
Think of networking this way. Imagine going on a blind date. Wouldn’t you be better placed to have a meaningful time if you knew some things about the person you’re meeting beforehand? To get the most out of an event or networking opportunity, prepare. If it’s an event, get acquainted with the topic. Check out the speakers, if any, for the event. We also now have apps where you can see and chat with event attendees. If your event has such a platform, take full advantage of it to share and connect.
If you’re particularly interested in a specific person, use social media to research about them and their areas of interest. Finding out if they are a dog person or not can help with those first awkward minutes of chatting believe it or not! Having more information on them makes you stand out as being intentional about this connection, which is attractive, to say the least. Knowledge is power.
Be prepared as well if your goal is to sell something. Could be your business or yourself! Have the necessary documents in case you get an opportunity to pitch. This can be your resume, business cards, brochures or pamphlets. Just be subtle about it though. Salespeople can be annoying at times.
During
Be genuinely connected to the person you’re networking with. Don’t dismiss anyone, especially if you don’t know who they are. So checking out the keynote speaker every 2 minutes when someone is trying to talk with you may not make a good impression. Humanize your connections by using people’s first names, maintaining eye contact & building rapport through your body language. Don’t be a robot. Speak in normal terms. Your contact is human after all.
Talking with your arms crossed or while checking your phone isn’t encouraged either. You need to portray interest in your engagements by asking questions & actively listening to the other person. Use the info you got from Step 1 to set yourself apart from the other event attendees or contacts by showing you’ve done your research. This will also make your communication more deliberate & personalized which will surely win you points.
After
After a fruitful networking session or engagement, cement the new relationship by following up. Get their contacts or ask them which channel they prefer to be contacted through. It’s better not to assume. Make sure to follow up immediately and not after 3 months when someone’s memory may fail them.
Apply the giving principle. Give as twice as you ask. Most people reach out to ask for something. Be different. Offer help or a gift. Provide value to your contact. And for you to do that, seek first to understand(7 Habits). Get their context so you can be in a position to provide the most value. And after all is said, go for action. Most conversations end with “I was just calling to say hi.” Don’t be one of those people! Seek action-oriented conversations that end with a call to action for either of you. Follow this up after a specific time with accountability i.e. how’s that going, I was calling to check up on what we talked about last time. And lastly, be reliable & do what you say you’ll do. Engagement will be useless to you & a waste of time to the other person if it’s just that, talk. Make someone feel treasured by putting into action your conversation & keeping them updated.
If you have multiple contacts, please use technology to help you manage this. You could use a contact management system or even opt for an Excel sheet where you could input contact information & notes on your engagement with one another.
Do you have any other tips for successful networking that have worked for you this year? Let us know below. All the best.
For more networking tips, read our other article on https://medium.com/jobonics/the-future-of-work-the-professional-networking-conversation-91cfc91b2b71
