"Succeeding in business is all about making connections" Networking in the business is equivalent to the time you invest after researching a great
“Succeeding in business is all about making connections”
Networking in the business is equivalent to the time you invest after researching a great business plan for your business growth. Many conferences are held every year at different locations for start-up owners and entrepreneurs to meet and greet and make their connections stronger in with the industry people.
So now when you are taking your time away from work to be a part of a conference, you should be very clear about how to make this visit fruitful.
So let’s start, as below are some of the tips that can help you network better at the business conferences.
Do your research well
You are going to visit a place where you will find plenty of people that have achieved the milestone you are aiming for in your business. There are chances that you will meet some big vendors, business experts and many more people who could be helpful to your business.
So before you make your mind to go to the conference, research well about these people. Read about them, visit their websites and social media accounts. Know what work they have done and what kind of information you can get for your business from their experience.
Learning about a person before meeting them will help you make the right conversation.
Know what’s your takeaway from this conference
Once you know who you are going to meet or are expected to arrive at the conference, start figuring out what you can get from meeting them and how can this information can help you for your business growth.
By being clear about the agenda with which you have gone to a place keeps you focused on your mission to the network rather than being driven away by the moving sessions and the event held at the venue.
Have a sensible and knowledgeable conversation
Be very smart about the words you use when you are talking to someone you think are very valuable to you in terms of network and also in person. The base of the future business relationship is set at the way you speak and present yourself and your company at the conference.
Be ready with some conversational starters, something that doesn’t sound too robotic but is still professional.
Use the following kind of phrases to break the ice;
- How long you have been with this company?
- What are your expectations for this conference?
- Where are you from?
- That’s an interesting set-up for a business conference!
You can start your conversation casually and then lead it to the purpose you are there for.
Prepare your pitch
Be ready with your business details and an effective pitch. As when you are at the conference, you should not get out of words or take time to think about your business details that can justify your business definition. Investing time in finding the right words can make you lose the prospect opportunity in front of you.
So get ready with the details about yourself, your business, your purpose to visit this conference as this is the common thing that is will come across during the conversation during the networking process.
Know where to approach
You have arrived at the conference ready with the pitch and confident enough to meet people around, but what if you don’t know with whom to talk to? What if you spend more time with people that might give you lesser benefits than the one you have missed to meet.
Your research about the conference and the people visiting it will help you find out whom to approach first. The people around will be from a different horizon, so don’t act anti-social and spend your time looking at your phone and laptops, but try to maximize the number of people you can talk to that can bring in the bucks for you.
Connect with them on social media
Social media plays a very important role when it comes to networking, try to use these platforms as much as you can. It’s a great way to keep in touch with people even after the conference is over.
Connect with them on LinkedIn, start following each other on Twitter to keep up with the industry updates. This way you will remain virtually connected and can build a good relationship gradually.
Have an exit plan
The hardest part of attending the conference is to know how to leave. There might be a situation when you are stuck in a conversation you think you might not have started, be prepared with an exit plan.
Try to leave a conversation politely with an “excuse me” or in a way that pretends you have some other thing to do immediately. Thank them for their time and information and leave with a smile.
Summing Up:
Business conferences are like a phone directory where each of the numbers leads to a different connection, but how you collect the best connections out of them shows your skills as a business person. The above-mentioned tips can surely help you rock your next conference.
Author Bio :
James Vargas is an experienced business expert, consultant, and manager at Get Everything Delivered, startup consulting services. He has 1.5-decade corporate experience and is tailoring the best project delivery practices to the start-up owners based on his knowledge to solve start-up business problems to great revenue for their business.
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