A word that everyone loves to hate…

“Networking”

Many small business owners feel frightened of networking. Walking into a room full of strangers and trying to “sell” can feel inauthentic and uncomfortable. 

The good news? Networking doesn’t have to be that at all and I’m about to share my best tips for making networking a pleasure not a chore. 

Because the secret to effective networking isn’t about selling at all. Networking is about building relationships.

Here are my 5 biggest tips to make networking work for you.

1. Choose the right networking event to make it worth attending.

With so many options from casual meetups to formal conferences, finding an event that fits your goals is important. 

Consider whether the purpose of the event aligns with what you’re looking for.

Are you looking to find new clients, create strategic partnerships, increase visibility, look for collaborators, grow your network, or make business friends? 

Check the event website and social media for clues on the typical attendee. Read their Google, Facebook, LinkedIn reviews and testimonials. 

Does your ideal client or ideal business partner attend? If yes, that’s a great fit. Ask your existing contacts for event recommendations. Or even ask your clients!

Remember that some networking events are explicitly for referrals and the host and attendees fully expect each other to make referrals when attending. 

Typically they have one place for each different type of business, like a marketing consultant, a photographer, a mechanic, a hairdresser, an accountant, a personal trainer, a lawyer, and so on. So if referrals are what you’re after, and you can offer referrals, that would be a great room to be in. 

If you’re looking for a more relaxed environment, to meet like-minded people, to share ideas, to build your network, get word of mouth in your local area, then a small networking event locally could be better for you. 

Or if you want to work with bigger businesses then the higher priced and established networking events could be right for you. 

You could look at industry conferences which have a lot of networking potential. And if you want to learn about the subject matter, choose ones with guest speakers.

In a nutshell:
know what you want from networking and choose your events accordingly. Do your research to make it worth attending.

2. How to feel more confident at networking events.

It’s normal to feel nervous walking into a room of strangers, so here are some helpful tips to increase your confidence.

Once you’ve booked your ticket, reach out to the host and introduce yourself. Tell them it’s your first time and you don’t know anyone going. Ask them to look out for you so you have someone to welcome you in.

Look at previous events photos to see who has been tagged or look at the list of attendees. Connect with them on social media. When you’re at the event, you have a natural icebreaker as you’ve already connected online.

If your worst fear is a room full of people chatting like they’ve known each other forever. Head for people in groups of three, not twos. 

Threes are less likely to be having a personal conversation you mistakenly interrupt than twos. And it’s easier to splinter off into a two if that’s the right thing to do. 

Remember: first impressions matter, so enter with a friendly smile and open body language.

And remember, you don’t have to sell to anyone. So take that pressure off yourself.

3. Want to make a first great impression at networking events? Avoid these common mistakes.

Trying to sell at networking events or only talking about yourself and your business won’t make you many friends. 

Tell yourself you’re there to learn about other peoples’ businesses, make new connections, and discover overlapping interests. 

To avoid being that me-me-me person, instead ask lots of open-ended questions, and be an active listener when people respond. 

Look for opportunities to offer help or share your knowledge generously. The more you make networking about the other person, the more reward you’ll get from it.  

So rule 101. Make the conversation about them, not you. Don’t talk ‘at’ people. 

When someone asks “What do you do?”. Answer briefly, then go straight back to making the conversation about them: “What about you?”. 

If they follow up by asking you “How is your business going for you?” or “What made you come to this event?”, or “How did you get into your business?”. 

Answer briefly, then switch it right back to them again. You could ask them the same questions. And add ones like “How does your business tie into coming here?” Or “How have you found it making connections here, have you found it supportive to your business?”.

Simply put – make it about them and not about you.

4. Prepare a brief statement to pitch your business.

It helps to know your elevator pitch (or at least a concise line or 2 about your business) in case there’s an opportunity to quickly introduce yourself and your business. 

But don’t go overboard — networking isn’t about delivering a persuasive sales monologue. Just have two to three concise sentences that convey what you do in an authentic, conversational way. 

Even in a room of 30 people, if only one person listens and takes notes, chat with them afterwards. Ask them about the event, what they think of it, whether they have been here before, and so on.

Make sure you have plenty of business cards, or set up an electronic business card with a QR code for effortlessly sharing your contact details. 

Be clear on what you want the people you meet to do. Make it really specific and relevant to the people you’re talking to – for example – check out my website to ‘download my latest guide to xyz’ rather than leaving your new contacts with no clear call to action.  

When other people pitch, jot down notes about what they do or interesting details they mention. You can reference those notes later to continue the conversation or prompt your memory for follow-up.

5. Nurture new connections after the event.

Within 24-48 hours, send follow-up messages on relevant social media to people you want to keep in touch with. 

A simple “It was great to meet you, I’d love to continue our conversation about [x topic] over email/phone/virtual coffee” can go a long way. 

Engaging with their social media posts can continue building the relationship. 

You can even write a post about the networking event to recap and tag people you want to nurture relationships with. Community is key to successful networking!