Networking is one of the easiest ways to grow awareness of your small business. The keys to making small business networking work include understanding the importance of networking follow-up, networking with a purpose, and having an end goal in mind. Don’t go in with the goal of collecting business cards. Instead, go with the intention of helping others. Here are three more networking tips that will help you go from just another faceless SBO schlepping business cards to a networking standout.
- Skip the elevator pitch and just talk to people. When you’re trying to remember your rehearsed commercial or reciting it by rote, your passion can get lost in translation.
- Skip the traditional introduction and just talk to people. Introduce yourself by name, ask about their business first, then wait for them to ask about yours.
- Skip the automatic business card exchange and just talk to people. Get to know them and what their business is about, then ask for their card. They’ll ask for yours in return, and a genuine connection will have been forged.
- Skip the traditional follow-up and just help people. Instead of following up with a request to sign up for your newsletter or discount off your service, follow-up by offering strategic introductions to people you know who need the service the other provides.
- Skip the friends you already have and just meet new people. That goes beyond not mingling with your friends at networking events where you’re both in attendance. It also means going to events you don’t normally attend in areas you don’t typically frequent.
Networking is a fantastic way to make a whole new group of people aware of your small business. It’s also a great way to reinforce your brand and your message to an existing audience. These networking tips can help you stand out in a crowded room and leave a mark that won’t soon be forgotten. After all, the point of networking isn’t to get people to remember you until the end of the event – it’s to get them to remember you and your products and services long after the event ends.