Here’s another ten tips to assist you in your networking strategy.  Ask yourself how it is to network with you?  What do you bring to the experience?

 

• When at a networking opportunity SMILE!! Look approachable; no one will come near you if you have your head buried in the newspaper or look like you just swallowed the taxi driver for breakfast!

 

• Don’t be afraid to say hello, chances are the person you meet is just as nervous as you.

 

• At sit-down events, try to sit with people you haven’t met before. Try to get the whole table involved in a discussion

 

• Aim to make one or two great contacts at each event, anything more than that is a bonus.  Networking is like making friends – relax and enjoy meeting new people, the business will flow later.  As Stephen Covey says “Seek first to understand and then to be understood”

 

• Look beyond their business and focus on the person.  Remember that networking is about people not just business – business may follow but the important thing is the amazing person you may be about to uncover.

 

• Ask for business cards if you really want to stay in contact, don’t wait for an offer and only ask if you intend on staying in touch.

 

• Listen, listen and then listen some more! Treat everyone you meet with respect and integrity. Focus on that person completely, not on who else is in the room.

 

• Circulate with respect. Be aware of body language and join conversations politely.

 

• Get to know the host.

 

• Know when to back off with integrity. Follow your instinct.  There are many ways to politely excuse yourself without being rude.