5 business networking tips

Business networking has been the best friend of the salesman and the marketer for decades. In the physical sense of networking it really all is about appearance in everything you do so it’s vital that you look the part, sound the part, and act the part. Here are 5 top tips to improve your business networking results.

1 - Know Your Goals

Knowing what you want to achieve from your networking efforts is the first step you need to take.

• Do you want to generate sales on the spot?
• Do you want to build a list of effective potential leads?
• Do you want to try and advance your own career?

These, and many other goals, can be achieved through effective business networking but if you don’t have a clear goal in mind then the rest of your networking is much less likely to prove effective at achieving any kind of success.

2 - Join The Right Groups, Attend The Right Events

The face of business networking has changed. Fewer networking groups exist than they once did but there are many other opportunities to network with others and build a good portfolio of leads for your business.

Join industry associations, attend trade fairs, join professional and academic association and groups. Once you’ve joined, make sure you attend meetings, seminars, and other events so that you can get your networking off to a good start.

3 - Update Your Business Card

Business cards are far from being a thing of the past; they are an integral facet of physical networking so it’s imperative that your business is accurate and up to date. It’s also vital that you take your newly designed business card with you whenever you attend an event or meeting. If you don’t have it, you can’t give it, and writing your name and number on a scrap of paper is unlikely to give the right first impression.

4 - Make Notes

When you make new contacts and build the inevitable pack of business cards it is incredibly easy to forget who is who and what each individual does. One of the best ways to ensure that this doesn’t happen is to take notes. Use any blank space on the back of each business card to write down a couple of key pointers that will jog your memory and update any lead database or contact database as soon as you get back to the office or turn on your laptop.

5 - Follow Up And Contact

There’s really no point in collecting business cards if you do nothing with them for six months. In fact, if you don’t make contact within a few days then the person will probably have forgotten you (no matter how sparkling your repartee) and you will probably have forgotten the reason you wanted to include them in your network. Email each new contact or call them and just let them know that you were pleased to have met them at the event. They’ll appreciate the effort and you will stand out from the rest of the people that made no extra effort.

Business networking can take you a long way in running a successful business and it can even help you with your personal development and career advancement so do make sure that you do it right. A little extra effort can go a long way.