Networking for You

If you are anything like a lot of people business networking is something that you avoid.

When I think about networking at an event I think we are resistant to the idea of formally presenting ourselves to others.

If you want to work a room and enjoy the experience here are some tips for you from my own experiences, those of my clients and those from experts in this area.

A good starting point is to prepare a concise 'I am x; what I do is this; what I am working with is this'. It's also a good idea to think beforehand about who you want to connect with and why so that your networking is focused.

The more specifically you know what you want out of any given event the better the outcome so think about this carefully before registering for an event.

Really think about what your brand is and what you want to portray so that you give a great impression of your brand.

When you meet a person for the first time pay attention to their behaviour and aim to match and mirror their actions, gestures, tonality and words to give them what they need in order to get them to engage with you.

Pay attention to your own body language practising confident postures, a friendly smile and perhaps some ice breaker questions or compliments.

Also prepare questions that will help you to get your outcome such as asking someone 'what are your biggest challenges right now?' that may help you to think about what services you could provide to help them during a subsequent conversation.

Above all move around and meet as many people as possible since there may be other opportunities for connections in the room.

Swap business cards and ensure that you follow up with people to deepen your connections.

Make notes about people you have met and what you have found out is important to them.

And remember that since business is all about relationships networking and meeting new people is a must...

So find a way to enjoy it such as dressing up or finding out more about other people.

If you have found these tips to be useful please leave a comment.

For support in achieving your business and/or personal goals please get in touch via www.westofenglandcoachingandcounselling.co.uk. We would love to connect.