There are many businesses that still depend upon face-to-face networking for generating new prospects. Obviously, most real estate companies rely on this important business strategy, but there are many others as well.
While some believed that the rise of online
social media would cause face-to-face networking to decline in importance, this
has not happened. The traditional techniques for networking are as relevant as
they’ve ever been.
I was fortunate to read some invaluable information on this topic back in 1987 as I began to build my clinical practice. By putting into practice the principles I discovered, I was able to reap the benefits that well-executed networking activities consistently provide.
For my work at Tidemark, many of the same networking concepts have applied and produced predictable results. However, there was a new wrinkle to the process that I didn’t anticipate—the art and science of networking at conferences.
I’ve developed some methodologies in this arena, but I still have a long way to go before tapping the full potential of the conference venue. This is why I’m always on the lookout for good articles written on this topic. I ran across such an article last week.
The article is written by Dave Kerpen. Kerpen is the founder and CEO of Likeable
Local, and
the best selling author of Likeable Social Media and Likeable Business. Here
are some of his thoughts on the topic:
1) Research speakers and attendees ahead of time - and reach out. A week or two before the conference, look at the speaker list and, if available, the attendee list. Research the people you'd most like to meet and spend time with, and then reach out via email, Twitter or LinkedIn. Figure out how you can truly help them - and then offer your help. By showing your friendship first, you'll be differentiating yourself from everyone else, who just wants to get something from them. Set up a 10-15 minute meeting over coffee or a drink. That way, you won't have to scramble and compete to get their attention once at the conference.
2) Use social media to connect with and compliment the speakers. Chances are, you want to meet and network with speakers even more than with fellow attendees. But so does everyone else. One of the best ways to grab a speaker's attention is to engage with him or her on Twitter before the conference, and pay him/her a genuine compliment before or during the speech. I'll often then send a private message on Twitter to set up a meeting, so that I don't have to fight through the crowd after his/her speech for 2 meaningless seconds of conversation.
3) Skip a panel or two and hang out in the break room. As valuable as the content of a conference can be, if you're there to meet people, it can be more valuable to hang out outside the panels, in the break room, trade show floor, or by the coffee or snacks. There, you'll have more time to meet people - a speaker who's just arrived, or an attendee who stepped out to take a phone call, or a sponsor you might be able to partner with. Most conferences have built-in breaks and networking time, which can be very valuable. But consider making more of this time for yourself - you can always get the notes from that panel later.
4) Forget just giving out business cards - collect them. The traditional thinking for conferences is "Bring lots of business cards to hand out to everyone you meet." I bring my business cards to conferences. But I'd rather be in control of who I connect with - collecting cards from the people I most want to stay in touch with. So, do ask each person you meet for his/her card- and then, do connect with them on LinkedIn - either after the conference, or right then and there. Always include a personal message when connecting.
5) Ask meaningful questions of the people you meet. Everyone else is asking, "Where are you from?" and "Where do you work?" and other small talk at conferences. Larry Benet taught me to ask better questions, such as "What are you most passionate about?" and "What charity do you care most about?" and "Who at this conference would you most like to be connected with?" That way, you get people talking about something they really care about, and you can form a more meaningful relationship faster. Of course, the most important question you can ask of someone is, "How can I help you?" When you ask these questions, listen well, and be genuinely interested. This will make a difference for you."
While I don't personally connect with the questions Kerpen recommends asking, I do think the questions need to be personal and different. I would also add that questions should be genuine.
If you are a naturally inquisitive and thoughtful person, utilize your gift for reaching out and connecting with new people. In looking back on my career across multiple domains, it may be the most valuable thing I have ever done.
Question: In what ways could you increase your value to others and your business by being more proactive about face-to-face networking?
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Editor's Note: This article was written by Dr. David Mashburn. Dave is a Clinical and Consulting Psychologist, a Partner at Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle.
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