Do You Have a Marketing Strategy When Attending Networking Events?
Networking events are great meeting places and provide venues to work within groups – usually of professionals. Like any other successful marketing strategy, there is an art to networking that involves many areas, but we'll focus on just one for now. Your Goal! What is your goal when you attend networking events? Is it to quickly tell everyone who you are, what you do, hand out as many cards as possible, then leave?
If your goal is to get your card into the hands of as many people as possible without taking the time to find out who they are, what they do and how you can help them, then your purpose for attending would have failed. It's important to remember that networking is about building relationships and to achieve this it is important to be others focused. Get to know people by asking questions about them. Ask simple conversation starters like: What do you do? You can follow with questions like, How long have you been in business or working this particular business? Who is your target market? How can I help YOU?
Someone may say that if all they're to be concerned about is the other person, what's the point in attending these events? The point is that this is a marketing strategy that works! When you show that you care about others, they begin to build a measure of trust in you. People are so accustomed to being pitched to, when you display the opposite behavior this breaks down some of the defensive wall they surround themselves with and will be more receptive to you.
Go with a mindset to GIVE, and you'll be pleasantly surprised how much you GET.
I invite you to click here to learn more about a web-based greeting card system that allows you to follow-up quickly after networking events with the people with whom you made a connection.
You will also receive tips from my Report, “One Dozen Reasons to Send a Follow-up Card.â€
Please feel free to post your comments.
