In a post titled, What if your business card is your only marketing tool? I asked but didn’t answer, What are you doing with those collected business cards? It is a valuable question to end this review of how to help the events you attend create more valuable connections. Whether you are looking for a client, a collaboration or even a job, how do you go to events that lead into more leads and ultimately sales? Here are four ways in Want To Get More Success Out Of Your Next Networking Events? that will do this quickly for you:
Go where your contact sphere connectors network. I’ve been a member of BNI twice in my careers. I did much better the second time around because I learned what went wrong in my first experience. In 1990 when I started my training business, I landed in the closest BNI group I could find – an hour drive each way. It turns out while I learned something about contact spheres; I was in the wrong group. I was selling B2B, business to business. Yet, 95% of the members were B2C, business to consumer. It was a frustrating and low productivity 3 years. But the second time around was a charm when my shift to B2C led me to a B2C group.
Go where your prospective clients network. This way to important consideration is currently kicking my butt because I am re-niching so, I’m doing my homework. I can tell you based on previous experience though what you want to look for. Know who your decision maker is and find out what associations they would likely be a member. Either get invited as a guest, or register on your own, for at least 2 or 3 meetings to make sure this IS a group your prospective clients attend events.
Measure your results. One year I over committed to networking. Not at all good for an introvert! Never the less, there were 3 groups vying for my attention and I joined all three. They wanted someone who would be willing to give the members short doses of “how to’s of networking,” which you might know I love doing! Little did I know, until I was informed by one group’s leader, they did not allow you to be a member of another group which was also actively cultivating referrals. I had to decide where do I stay and which do I leave. I opened up my Microsoft Excel “leads to clients” spreadsheet for the previous 18 months. I sorted it quickly and made my decision – to stay in the group that gave me the most leads that turned into clients. It freed up my time and I was able to go forward with even better results.
What are you doing with those collected business cards? It doesn’t matter if business cards are printed by Vistaprint or your local printer, you’ve got some valuable connections with the cards you collected in those better events and groups that you are networking in. But it’s your obligation to do something with those cards, and that something is – follow-up. Within 24 to 48 hours you want to at the very least, email all these new connections with a “Nice to meet you,” kind of note. Not a “You need to buy my fandangle product!” message. Better yet, to the better connections, make a telephone call or send a handwritten note. And then, get the complete contact information and any notes you’ve made, into your database so you can stay in touch. Remember, you may have to connect with someone over a period of time or over anywhere from 6 to 21 times before you get a decision.
There are side benefits of going where your contact sphere networks, being where your potential clients mingle, measuring your results and tossing those business cards once you have them in your data base. Consider these pluses: You free up your time, you maximize your results, you stay more focused and you reduce that awful desktop clutter – caused by business cards you do nothing with! This, is how you get more success out of your next networking events.