As a business owner for more than 30 years, I have noticed that many new and established businesses tend to struggle with networking. One definition of networking is a business activity by which groups of like-minded business people recognize, create or act upon business opportunities.
Networking has helped me participate in many business opportunities ranging from meeting with Nelson Mandela, several U.S. presidents, leaders of other countries and more than 100 CEOs of major corporations.
Here are my tips to successful networking.
- Visit online community calendars to find upcoming events.
- 2. Have a plan before each function or event to determine what your No. 1 reason for attending is — whether it is sponsorship for your organization, matchmaker recruitment, member organization recruitment, for profit business opportunity, introducing yourself to people that you do not know and sharing your organization with them, or just plain enlightenment on the subject matter of the function — sometimes I am able to accomplish all of these at one function.
- Know who you would like to see and what you plan to say to them if you get the opportunity.
- Arrive early and read the name badges before the event.
- If the event does not have reserved seating, sit at a table with people you do not know — do not sit between two people that you already know. If there is no reserved seating, sit where you can see the majority of people in the room or the door so you can see who enters the room.
- Immediately introduce yourself and have conversations with tablemates and introduce yourself to all new arrivals at the table.
- If someone gets you into a long and uninteresting, unproductive dialogue politely excuse yourself (excuse me, there is someone I need to see before they get away).
- Be in someone’s face as often as you can — i.e., a corporate executive with whom you have been trying to connect.
- Shake hands at the beginning and end of the conversation.
- Follow up before they forget who you are with a handwritten note if you can squeeze it in your busy schedule, but at least send a follow-up email.
I place my business cards in my right pocket and all others in my left pocket. If appropriate, make a notation on their card for proper follow up. Be culturally aware of what is or is not appropriate to do with the business cards.
If time permits, I have an internal document that can be filled out to capture the value of the function for future reference or to share with others who were not able to attend the function.
Networking can lead to a lot of business opportunities and friendships. Once you learn an effective system, it is important to be consistent in your approach so it becomes a habit. I hope to see you at a future networking event!
Connie Atkins is executive director emeritus and director of development for the Consortium of African American Organizations. She was executive director from 2001 to 2011.
