The Internet Marketing Directory

There is no substitute for the power of face-to-face networking. But the question is: Are we maximizing those opportunities by using sound techniques that produce the very best results.

Oftentimes some basic mistakes are being made that cost us business. And there are also subtle tactics that can refine our approach.

With that in mind, here are six key networking practices that will make your ventures at business events more fruitful.

MINGLE, DON’T CLUSTER. My experience is that when people from the same workplace attend a business event they make the mistake of hanging together, rather than doing the hard work of mingling with strangers and turning them into acquaintances. You can talk to your office mates any time. Even those who are solo practitioners are prone to cluster with the first couple of people they meet and never advance beyond. This limits your exposure and business connections and opportunities. Don’t do it.

DON’T WANDER AIMLESSLY. Always try to get the attendee list prior to the event. That gives you an opportunity to review the list and target the people you want to meet and do business with. If the list is not available, it’s a good idea to spend your first five minutes surveying and assessing the crowd, figuring out who you want to approach. In other words, have a game plan rather than just letting things happen as they may. If you get to an event early keep an eye on the entrance and catch high-value people as they arrive. Most event planners neglect to have greeters at the door, and people will appreciate somebody who extends a hand and says, “C’mon, I’ll walk you to the bar.” Find the sweet spots. You’ll know them when you see them.

THE FOOD CAN WAIT. You cannot effectively network with a drink in one hand and a plate of food in the other. How do you shake hands? How do you exchange business cards? Do you think people want to watch you chomping on hors d’oeuvres and showing off your dental work while trying to explain what you do for a living? I don’t think so. Don’t show up famished. Eat something before you arrive if you’re hungry. Brush your teeth and freshen your breath. Eat while the event is drawing to a close, or grab a to-go plate. All you have to do is see people clumsily trying to juggle food, drink and business cards to know that you don’t want to create such a nutty impression.

KEEP IT SHORT, BUT NEVER ABRUPT. You want to touch down, make contact, exchange some key information with your high-value targets and move on. Just don’t be abrupt or you’re likely to offend people by creating the impression that you deemed them unworthy of your time and are bolting for greener pastures. You can avoid this situation by striking an agreement with your new contact to get in touch to schedule a coffee meeting so you can spend more time talking business. Make your departures polite and elegant. It will create a good impression and people are likely to emulate your style.

KEEP BUSINESS CARDS SEPARATED. Put the ones you hand out in one pocket and the cards you collect in another. If you mix your business cards with the ones you collect you’ll end up shuffling a deck before long. This gives people the wrong impression – that you’re an indiscriminate and serial collector of business cards. And you’re disorganized. Such bumbling takes the luster off your persona.

INTRODUCE PEOPLE TO ONE ANOTHER. This is a powerful technique. You become a connector. And if you hang around awhile and observe the conversation you just ignited, you’re likely to be surprised and enriched by the information you pick up. So bring people together, they’ll appreciate you for it – and they’ll remember you.

Mike Consol is president of MikeConsol.com (http://MikeConsol.com), which provides business writing seminars, PowerPoint presentation skills training, Web 2.0 strategies and media training. Consol spent 17 years with American City Business Journals, the nation’s largest publisher of metropolitan business journals.