There are so many great tips and ideas to make networking effective. Here a few steps to help make your networking successful:
- Choose a networking event to attend after researching attendees (online or by phone call to the organizer) to make sure that the people there are in your target audience.
- When at the event, even if you are shy, remember that everyone is there to network and speak with others, no one wants to be left standing alone, so you can even make your shyness or 'new-ness' a part of the conversation when you see someone standing by themselves.
- When speaking with others, focus on them - what do they do, how do they do it, who is their ideal customer.
- Take notes on their business card. Don't forget your pen!
- Follow up is critical - be methodical and provide value with each follow up - whether by phone, email or regular mail. It's not about closing the sale in the follow up. It's about building a foundation for a relationship.
- Be genuine. Be yourself.
Let me know if you would like the complete notes by replying to this post. You can also post more of your own ideas here too!
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