Networking During the Holidays and Special Events Part 2

As stated previously word-of-mouth advertising as you know this is one of the oldest and most powerful forms of marketing for the value you receive back from the time invested into it.. The previous suggestions were: always have your networking tools with you, set a goal for the number of new people you want to meet at the events, act like a host not a guest at the events, and finally to listen then ask the 5 W questions.

During the holiday season and special events you should make sure your follow the following four suggestions to be an effective networker so future customers can learn about your business.

1. Give a lead or referral whenever you can. Outstanding networkers believe in the givers gain philosophy. If you don’t really attempt to help the people you meet then you really aren’t networking. Sometimes you may need to be creative in this area. If you can’t give a lead or referral then you may need to give them other type of information that may be in need of them. An example of this maybe of a speaker you know about who they are trying to get a contract with for their business. You could also tell them of other ways to grow their business. The more you try to help people, the more they will remember you in a positive way. You will then become a source of information where people go when they need help.

2. Describe your product or service. After you learn about what the other person does then you describe your business. Be specific but brief. Use memory hooks or your lowest common denominator for your business. Try to do it in 60 seconds or less. This seems to be the attention span of some people when you are talking to them about your business.

3. Exchange business cards with the people you meet at the events. Ask for two cards; one for you and one for you to give away as a referral. This sets the stage for networking to start to happen. When the business cards are used properly, the cards can be instrumental in helping you remember people, initiate follow up, learn opportunities, and access information and resources for your own clients.

4. Spend 10 minutes or less with each person you meet at the events, don’t linger with your friends or associates. Remember suggestion # 2- if you set a goal to meet a certain amount of people you have to make sure you allocate the correct amount of time to accomplish your goal. Besides the person you are talking to also needs to meet others also. Don’t spend your entire time with just one person.

Learn to leave conversations gracefully. Tell them that you have a few more people to meet, your drink needs to be refreshed, or you want to sample the appetizers.
Ok now you have a total of eight suggestions on how to network during the holidays or special events. Come back for the final two suggestions and wrap up.

As always if you have any questions or comments please email me at rondazaragoza@gmail.com. I will try and reply to your question within 24-48 hours of receipt.