By Andrew Marder, Small Business Expert, Capterra
The worst part of networking is every single part of networking. The free snacks are okay, unless you get stuck with crudité. Everything else feels challenging, painful, or unproductive. You step into a room of other small business owners and managers with a pocketful of business cards, and when you are done, all you have got to show for it is a pocketful of other people’s business cards.
You feel that way because networking is usually undirected. We have a vaguely defined goal along the lines of “meet more people,” but that’s not the sort of thing that’s ever completed. You can always meet more people and so each networking event ends up being just one step along a never-ending journey.
To combat the weltschmerz, a new battle plan and a new outlook are needed.
Objective 1: Know what you want from an event
It is not enough to want to meet more people. If that was your only goal, you could just step out on the street corner and start handing out business cards. In reality, most networkers are looking for either customers or solutions.
Stop looking for those things. By focusing on finding new business, you overlook the value of people. People are interesting and well-connected and inherently valuable, but if you just treat them as potential clients, you are going to have a bad time.
Instead, set goals like “meet four founders” or “introduce three people I don’t know to three I do know.” These give you something to focus on, a function to perform, and leave you feeling accomplished at the end of the event.
Objective 2: Build connections for other people
People—I think we can now safely say—like Facebook. The reason they like Facebook is that it helps them connect to other people. Users meet new folks, share good times with old friends, and get to learn something about the world around them.
Be the Facebook of your networking group.
Even if the goal you set is not to introduce people to each other, spend some time connecting. Find someone who loves cooking and introduce them to the self-described foodie. Hook up the founder of the design studio with the content writer. Make introductions that seem interesting and people will start seeking you out at events, cutting down on the amount of work you have to do.
Objective 3: Focus on your personal brand
Finally, leave everyone with a good impression. Being the person other networkers seek out at events is great. Being the brand other companies seek out when they need to solve a problem is even better.
Instead of looking for today’s sales, look for places to reinforce your personal brand. Make yourself memorable and when people hit a spot where they need your services, you will be top of their mental list.
By focusing on your brand, you are focusing on building a sustainable flow of customers. Customers who seek you out because of the things you stand for or the kind of person you are an excellent source of future income.
Managing expectations
By setting specific goals for yourself, making your actions the center of attention, and presenting your personal brand, you can take the headache out of networking. Instead of leaving events full of hors d'oeuvres and sadness, you can step out smiling—probably still full of hors d’oeuvres, though.
A plan changes everything. A plan you can actually achieve makes everything even better. Do not go into your next event with some tangible goals and a willingness to try something new. I promise you will not be disappointed.
Paul Arkwright
Publisher
