Networking Information

By Fiona Bailey

So, there you are, standing outside the hall, listening to the hubbub of voices from within and wishing you were just about anywhere on earth apart from that spot right now. The first few times you go to a networking meeting are pretty nerve-wracking and it helps to go in with a few ideas and a plan for the event. That way, it reduces your stress, makes you more effective, and means that you can feel much more relaxed once you’ve had a little practise.

What are your goals? Why are you there? If you think you are going to walk out the door with a new contract you are being a little unrealistic. The purpose is to let other businesses know you are ready, willing and able to help them in the future, not to get an instant ‘sell’. It is not unusual to get contacted by people over a year after you initially met them – they didn’t need your services then, they need them now and you stuck in their mind. Likewise, you may find useful contacts and other companies you can pair up with on larger jobs and contracts, or even offer a new service in combination with. You may even meet someone who can come around and fix that dripping tap for you…

The result you want from attending is to know that several people now have you tucked away in their mental filing cabinet for the right reasons. So, how can you make a good impression, stick in people’s minds, and start to build a network of useful contacts?

Be unselfish Don’t approach everyone with the attitude of ‘what can you do for me?’ Start from the point of view of ‘what can I do for them?’ If you can think of a useful contact or piece of information for them, offer to email it over, and make sure that you do so. Don’t dismiss people immediately just because you can’t see any immediate connection between your businesses. You never know how these strange chains of connections can work out – I’ve received work from people three or four times ‘removed’ from my initial contact and had people I have helped, help me in turn later on.

Body language OK, don’t go mad trying to do all the buzzword stuff like mirroring and so on. It’ll just make you look unnatural if it is too much of an effort. Just remember to not create a barrier by crossing your arms or holding something up across your body and that’s the basic one that’ll see you out of most problems. Try to smile as well.

Hand shakes .If your palms are a bit sweaty then go and wash your hands and dry them thoroughly. Or, go and have a ‘nibble’ and wipe your hands on a napkin. Don’t give anyone a clammy handshake and don’t wipe your hand on your clothes before shaking hands – this looks disgusting. If you expect to have a real problem try spraying your palm with your antiperspirant before you go in. Don’t be all limp and floppy about the shake – take their hand comfortably, shake 3 times, then stop. A firm but gentle hold is good – imagine holding a child’s hand to see them safely across the road – but no death-grips thanks.

Space. Respect people’s personal space. Don’t stand too close to them or loom over them if they are shorter than you. Especially if you’ve been eating garlic. Which you shouldn’t, for about 24 hours before attending.

Who to talk to? Picking the people to talk to can be very difficult and the more people there are the more difficult it becomes. You may have a list of attendees and maybe there are one or two people you feel you really must talk to. Try to find them discretely. There is nothing worse than someone who walks by, eyes at chest level, scanning name badges and brushing off any approaches from the ‘wrong’ people. This is very rude behaviour and won’t endear you to any number of potentially good contacts.

If you have no specific targets, then take a few minutes to relax and observe the room. You’ll see some people in groups, obviously already friends or colleagues, and others alone or in pairs. Some networking events can seem very cliquey but don’t be put off.

Note any groups or pairs that seem to be discussing a specific project or contract, those who are seriously talking business, and leave them alone for now.

To gain confidence, pick one of the other lone wolves in the room. They will be very grateful that someone is talking to them and you can often make good contacts this way as you can talk 1-on-1. Don’t be trapped with a little hanger-on though, always remember that you want to meet a lot of people in a short time, so cut off the conversation after 5 or ten minutes.

Remember that everyone is there for the same purpose; to meet new people. Don’t be too embarrassed to join existing groups or pairs. You can listen to their conversation for a minute to check you won’t be breaking in on something really private (and it probably won’t be) then make a comment. Even just laugh at someone else’s joke. Then you can introduce yourself and find out who everyone else is.

Moving on It is important not to get trapped by one person, or to restrict yourself just because you’ve found a few people to talk to and it feels safer to stay there than launch yourself back out into the great unknown. As long as you are not yawning with boredom people won’t be offended that you want to move on. Everyone knows why you are all there. If you feel awkward about it just use the old ‘going to fetch a drink’ routine.

What to say Practise a little speech of 2 or 3 sentences that gives your name, company and what you do – an ‘elevator pitch’. They are useful as they snap in automatically when you are feeling a little lost for words and they give the other person a chance to open up the conversation by asking you a question. Likewise, ask about the other person and follow up with an enquiry. If your mind goes blank some one-size-fits-all questions include: “So do you work locally or nationally?” “How long have you been doing that?” and “Isn’t this coffee terrible”.

Have plenty of business cards but don’t load people down with leaflets and the like. Offer to email or post a full set of information if they are interested.