Best Networking Practices

Most of us know that networking is a absolute MUST for most businesses, however did you know there are Best Practices for successful networking? Did you know, for example that networking is not ab out building your business sales, but building your relationships with influencers?

Here is a list of 8 of the best networking practices. How close are you to using these or at least some of them? Do you have any others?

1. On or about the 15th of every month, look at your networking options for the following month to determine what events you want to attend. Make sure you schedule those events as though they are any other business meeting. Weekly, on Sunday night or Monday morning, review your scheduled events for the upcoming week. This will allow you to mentally prepare for these events.

2. Attend these events with intention. What exactly does that look like? Consciously go into these events with an open mind and the willingness and intention of meeting new people. This is going to require you to step outside of your comfort zones and to consciously look for and talk to new people rather than your friends and acquaintances already in the group. Make sure that you are getting contact information from the new contacts.

3. Send a note or email within 2 days.....yes, you read that correctly, 2 DAYS of the event requesting a meeting. This does not mean that you have to meet within 2 days, it just means to send the initial email. This also does not have to be a lengthy email, just an invite for coffee or happy hour. Make sure you include a link to your digital schedule if possible.

4. Get the cards and contact information into your database within a week of the original event for further follow-up. Make sure you are adding them to the correct groups as well. For example, make sure they are grouped in General Newsletter Subscribers as well as any Sub-Group, i.e. Chamber of Commerce or Leads Group Networking so that you can follow up with appropriate newsletters. If you outsource your newsletter list, make sure your contractor applies the correct groups to these new contacts.

5. Also, within a week of the initial meeting, make sure that 1-to-1 meeting is on the calendar. If it is not, reach out to the new contact again to schedule it. It is possible that your first email got sent to the spam folder. Tell them exactly why you are emailing them: "I send an email last week to schedule a meeting and have not heard back. I would love to take some time to get to know you better and see how I might be able to best refer business to you." Remember to make it about them.

6. Find out who a good referral is for that person. Take notes and pay attention. Look for ways to be "shockingly helpful" to them. Find ways to try to refer at least a person a month to that person. If the person presents at another event, create a blog post about the presentation. Do what you can to be memorable to that new contact.

7. Send a thank you follow up note within a week of the 1-to-1 meeting. If applicable and possible, include a good referral and/or introduction to that person with the first thank you email.

 

8. Foster the new relationship with follow up email and/or cards. If you are going to send cards, sending them for birthdays and major holidays is fine, however what about the random Follow Up Friday or St. Patrick's Day card? How well do you think that is going to stick with them. Aim to be unusual! Follow up should also be done at least once a month in the form of a newsletter or follow up email. Keep yourself and your business on the forefront of their thoughts.

When  networking, remember, it is not about your sales. Find out as much as you can about your new contact and find common denominators that you have with them. Build your relationship on these common denominators. Make sure it is genuine. People sell other people; they don't sell your product, they sell you. Make yourself memorable for the right reasons, a note, a card, a thank you, a shout out about them. Good people will refer good people and making your new contact feel special will encourage them to refer good people to you.