Top 9 tips on how to network like a BOSS

I had a terrible experience at a networking event last year.

I met a woman who started talking constantly about her business, and went off on a heap of tangents. I couldn’t believe it — she hadn’t even asked me for my name, or what I did. She then proceeded to tell me about the CRM she was using. I told her I used a different one. She said the one she uses is better. Wow, could it get worse? So she was now trying to sell me a CRM. Mind you, she wasn’t in IT at all! Then guess who pops up next to her? The guy who sells the CRM. She mentioned that she was telling me about the CRM she uses. He then started trying to sell it to me. Did they know my name? NO. Did they know what business I am in? NO! Have they shown any respect at all to me? NO.

Thankfully, we were told to sit down for breakfast. I avoided the two of them like the plague. Somehow, the CRM guy managed to get ahold my card — I did not give it to him. Later that same day, he started sending me email marketing… Are you kidding?

This might have been a horrible networking event experience, but it turned about to be a valuable experience as well. From this, I gained valuable insight on what not to do, and what I should do when it comes to attending a networking event.

Here are some of the key lessons I’ve learned:

1. Do your research on who will be there. If you know who will be there, its much easier to prepare to have quality conversations

2. Do some research about the organisation hosting the event, and the speaker if there is one. It is much more impressive to show up looking like you want to be at the event and aren’t just there to aggressively network!

3. Write a list of 20 questions you might like to ask people.. If you have an encyclopaedia of questions, you should never have a problem networking. It also stops you from that dreaded habit of talking too much.

4. Visualise your self being confident and successful at the event

5. Invite someone else to go who you know to make it a little easier at the beginning. Challenge each other to meet new people and introduce to each other.

6. Introduce people to each other. It is a nice thing to do, and it also helps you to remember who is who.

7. Go in with the mindset of helping people. This is not about helping them with your services. People will appreciate you helping them. Can you introduce them to a prospective client? Can you introduce them to someone who might want to work for them? How ele can you help them?

8. Adopt an introvert. Its just not introverts, but anyone who appears to be struggling socially, bring them in, ask them questions, introduce them to people. You will probably find they are really interesting people, just not all that confidence or comfortable.

9. Have an exit strategy. We have all been networking and come across someone who was irritating, talked about themselves the whole time, or where there really just wasn’t a worthwhile connection. There are a plethora of different ways you can exit that conversation. Find a strategy and use it. Your networking time is very precious, especially if you are paying a lot for the event. Don’t get stuck in a conversation that is of no value.

What are some of your strategies when it comes to attending networking events?

If you feel like you need to develop your networking strategies, feel free to drop me a message — let’s have a chat!