Regardless of the power of online networking, good networking techniques at live events reminds us again and again that there's no substitute for getting face-to-face with business people - provided we play our cards right.With that in mind, I would urge all of us to observe the following networking practices.
- Mingle, don't cluster. My experience is that when people from the same workplace attend a business event they make the mistake of hanging together, rather than doing the hard work of mingling with strangers and turning them into acquaintances. You can talk to your office mates any time. Even those who are solo practitioners are prone to cluster with the first couple of people they meet and never advance beyond.
- Don't wander aimlessly. Always try to get the attendee list prior to the event. That gives you an opportunity to review the list and target the people you want to meet and do business with. If the list is not available, it's a good idea to spend your first five minutes surveying and assessing the crowd, figuring out who you want to approach. In other words, have a game plan rather than just letting things happen as they may. If you get to an event early keep an eye on the entrance and catch high-value people as they arrive. Most event planners neglect to have greeters at the door, and people will appreciate somebody who extends a hand and says, "C'mon, I'll walk you to the bar."
- The food can wait. You cannot effectively network with a drink in one hand and a plate of food in the other. How do you shake hands? How do you exchange business cards? Do you think people want to watch you chomping on hors d'oeuvres and showing off your dental work while trying to explain what you do for a living? I don't think so. Don't show up famished. Eat something before you arrive if you're hungry. Brush your teeth and freshen your breath. Eat while the event is drawing to a close, or grab a to-go plate.
- Keep it short, but never abrupt. You want to touch down, make contact, exchange some key information with your high-value targets and move on. Just don't be abrupt or you're likely to offend people by creating the impression that you deemed them unworthy of your time and are bolting for greener pastures. You can avoid this situation by striking an agreement with your new contact to get in touch to schedule a coffee meeting so you can spend more time talking business.
- Keep business cards separated. Put the ones you hand out in one pocket and the cards you collect in another. If you mix your business cards with the ones you collect you'll end up shuffling a deck before long. This gives people the wrong impression - that you're an indiscriminate and serial collector of business cards. And you're disorganized.
- Introduce people to one another. This is a powerful technique. You become a connector. And if you hang around awhile and observe the conversation you just ignited, you're likely to be surprised and enriched by the information you pick up just by listening. So bring people together, they'll remember you for it.