Image by Elliottng via Flickr

by Michael Taylor

If the idea of business networking sounds about as pleasant to you as doing your taxes, you are not alone. Many of us dread the act of networking because it simply goes against our instincts. We are raised to think that we should not talk to strangers, and as we grow older, we come to expect a proper introduction by a third party when we meet someone for the first time. Business networking takes away this safety net; you must introduce yourself to strangers yourself, and do so with confidence. Confidence: this is truly key. Here are six tips on how to exude confidence while you are networking at business events.

1. Do a little bit of homework. Before you attend a business-networking event, see if you can find out a little bit about the other individuals who are attending. This can help to give you a comfortable ice breaker, such as the topic of a football team from an individual’s home town. You may even be able to find out something about the attendees’ personal interests. If you can’t find out anything specific, read up on current events. A popular current event serves as a good conversation starter. Just steer clear of anything that tends to be super controversial. Look for cheerful news or interesting and funny stories, such as coverage of the annual national ugly dog pageant.

2. Get to the event early. This gives you the opportunity to warm up slowly as people gradually arrive. It is a lot easier than thrusting yourself into the center of a large group of folks who are already talking and mingling. And, although it may be way out of your comfort zone, go alone. If you’re introverted, you may be tempted to bring a friend. But if you go alone, you are more likely to actually network rather than just relying on your buddy.

3. Approach people who have empty plates in their hands. Or, if there is a buffet, hang out close to it. Food is a natural pleasure delivery system, and it raises our endorphin levels. So people are likely to be more receptive to your conversation starter if they’ve just had a bite to eat.

4. Be the best dressed person in the room. Dressing well is an instant confidence booster, so make sure your outfit is well-tailored. The shoulder seam on your shirt should hit your actual shoulder, not the top of your arm. Your tie knot should be snug and clean, not sloppily yanked to one side. If you want to include an easy conversation starter in your outfit, wear a tie with an interesting pattern or a bright pocket square. Clothing items are good attention getters, and people are more likely to approach you if your outfit includes something eye-catching.

5. Politely approach people who are standing alone. It’s likely that loners have a little bit of anxiety about networking, like you, and could even be feeling a bit awkward standing alone. They are likely to be very grateful when you take the initiative to approach them.

6. Set a specific goal for yourself. If you set a concrete and measurable goal for yourself, you are much more likely to measure the event as a success once the networking event is over. For example, bring 6 business cards, and decide ahead of time how you want to introduce yourself to people. Once you have introduced yourself to six individuals and given them your business cards, you are finished. You can reward yourself for meeting your business networking goal.

Michael Taylor is a Marketing Manager at TIE SNUG. TIE SNUG is a revolutionary new concealed necktie accessory that keeps your tie knot in place, eliminates continuous adjusting and makes wearing a tie more comfortable. Slipping tie knots look unprofessional, so present the right image and dress for success with TIE SNUG. For more information or to make a purchase, please visit http://www.tiesnug.com.

Image by Joe Pemberton via Flickr

By Denise Dema

Networking is one of the easiest and cost-effective ways to get the word out about your business. Social networking opportunities are limitless online and are very popular, but having some real-time interaction with other business professionals face to face is still very important for local exposure and profitability.

One of the most popular ways people do this is by joining associations and industry groups. Members attend networking events for the purpose of gathering in one place to exchange business cards and to talk to other executives about each other’s business. This is a good place for person to person introductions to share information.

It is always good to start conversations with an introduction of yourself and then learn a bit about the other persons business needs so you have the ability to see if your products or services are a good fit. The importance of using that information with a prepared mini business pitch is critical in capturing an immediate interest in your business. By explaining the value and benefit of how your products and or services can improve their business, you create a need for further discussion. If this is done right, you will be able to book a follow-up appointment at the owner’s place of business in order to build rapport further to then close the sale. If there really isn’t a fit or business synergy, then you can move on quickly to meet someone else that would better suit your time.

Often, people go to these functions without any preparation or thought focus and miss all the opportunities that are before them by just handing out their business card and engaging in some general conversation about what they do. The most successful executives always work smart. They ask questions, have a brief business pitch that creates value, exchange business cards to prospective clients and make follow-up appointments right on the spot to maximize their efforts making these events profitable to attend.

Another way to network that is by far one of the most overlooked is to talk about what you do to everyone that crosses your path. There are many ways to engage with others socially in a passive, friendly way, that shares information about your business without sounding like an aggressive salesperson.

Each day you encounter people at places you frequent that might not know anything about what you do or the business you are in. All business owners use products and services not only to run their own company but also in their personal life as well which makes everywhere you go an opportunity. EVERYONE is a potential client when you mention to them what you do, and in doing so, they might also think of someone within their network of business contacts or family/friends that could use your services as well. The opportunities are endless when you start to expose your services to everyone you encounter. It’s as simple as handing them a business card and saying, “If you ever need my services or know anyone that might need them please share my number or pass my card to them. I will take good care of anyone you send my way.”

When you go to your dry cleaner, veterinarian, favorite restaurant, massage therapist, hair salon, doctor, gym or even to a wine tasting or art gallery, you can give the owner your business card for their reference. I am sure a lot of the places you frequent have been recommended to others in the past. Like telling people how delicious the food is at your favorite restaurant, how great your hair cutter is, how well the vet takes care of your pet, how great your trainer is at your gym and so on. This should be mentioned to the business person you are speaking to if applicable to show them that you refer their business to colleagues, friends and family as well. This plays into the old saying, “One hand washes the other!”

Diversifying your marketing efforts by stepping out of the box is the key to bringing in clients from all different venues. Today can be the day that you look at the world as the land of opportunity by…… Networking Your Way Through Life!

Get the tools you need to achieve your full potential! Denise Dema is a Business and Life Management Coach with over 20 years experience empowering individuals, entrepreneurs and business owners to attain self-defined success in their professional & personal lives. To learn more or to book a complimentary session please visit http://www.denisedema.com

Prepare a 30 second pitch so that you can explain to people what your product or service is when they first approach your booth. If they express interest, you can then go into more detail.

Make sure that your display is colorful, professional,  and inviting. Many vendors put sparkly confetti on the table to pull attention to their handouts or brochures.

If you are planning to give away promotional items, put them in a container if they are small (such as candy), or lay them out on the table (pencils, pens, etc.). Have a bowl on the table where people can put their business cards if they want more information.

Invite your existing customers, friends, and family to the show! Current clients will often pull others over to tell them about your services.

Don’t sit down! A vendor needs to look approachable and ready to talk to people. Be engaging. Smile, and have fun.

If you need more time to present to people, you can schedule demonstrations, or a follow-up seminar where you will share your knowledge in a 1 or 2 hour presentation and a Q&A session.

For more information on scheduling such a seminar, VisionPulse Creative Event & Meeting Center can help you schedule a conference room for as low as $8 per hour!

So, you have decided to stage an event. But, how do you get people there? Here are several ideas on promoting your occasion.

1. Create a flyer for your event for both a print and electronic version. Include a coupon of some incentive to present the flyer at the event, like a 2 for 1 ticket, or 10% off drinks.
2. Post the electronic version of the flyer on your website’s home page.
3. Attend other networking events such as Meetups or Chambers of Commerce events and promote your event there.
4. A great resource to use is WSRadio, or BlogTalkRadio.
5. Post your event on various online event calendars, such as Zvents, DiscoverSD, or Eventful. If your event is at VisionPulse, we will put it on our Meetup page or Facebook page.
6. Email your announcement to people you know who have a lot of contacts and ask them to pass it along. Attach your digital eFlyer with a discount offer such as “Print and bring this email to receive (___some deal___) at the Event”. This way you can track where the coupons come from and “thank” the individual that sent it out for you.
7. Create a Postcard to be mailed – if you have mailing addresses of your clients or wish to acquire a targeted mailing address, you can easily send out a postcard version of your event flyer as an invitation to your potential attendees.
8. Use Constant Contact (or other email marketing tools)  to send out your email  with a coupon to your event. Constant Contact is a great tool to help you track your responses and keep your emails from going into junk folders.
9. Create a professional press release written about your event to be forwarded to all the appropriate media such as newspapers, radio, and television.
10. If your event is an Expo, have all of your exhibitors either give you their list of clients or they can send out the event info to their lists, hand out flyers to their customers, post on their websites, etc. Imagine if you have 30 exhibitors and each has 10 guests of their own, you would have 300 people attend your event in addition to any others who come because of your own advertising efforts!
11. Include the business names of the participating exhibitors in your webpage info about the event as well as in your emails. Include a link to those businesses’ websites.
12. Have the exhibitors embed your flyer or post a link on their websites to your flyer.
13. Create a short video commercial for your event. Post it on YouTube. Embed the video on your website and allow your exhibitors to do the same.