Go beyond hollow networking and create solid relationships
At the end of a typical business conference you are left with a pile of business cards that get dumped in a black hole with an intention of never seeing them again. As discussed earlier, conferences are a massive gathering of people from all streams of life. So, naturally you would want to strike a conversation with every other person you come across at the event. But this is where you must calm down and play it cool. Instead of targeting the quantity of conversations you make, focus on quality of your conversations. Five fruitful and long-lasting conversations always triumph over 100 futile and formal conversations.
This is where your planning comes in the picture. Through platforms such as social media find out who is making the trip and who is attending which events. Prepare a list of people you want to meet and plan a conversation. Keep the list concise and focus on ticking all boxes. In front of every ’ name, write down what you want to speak with them and the goals you want to achieve from the conversation.
Ensure you know the face of the person you want to meet as you will have to locate them in the crowd.
Do not approach the person and vomit out the typical ‘ a a a ’ pitch. Prepare an organic and articulated pitch that flows like a natural conversation. People are smart enough to identify sugar coated sales pitches, so make sure you engage with people in a humane manner and touch a chord in their minds.
Following up is essential for building solid relationships. It ’ mean shooting up a hollow and tasteless ‘ ha y ’ or ‘I enjoyed our a ’ mail or message just after hitting home. Your follow-up message should take your conversation ahead, so you must bring something new to the table which is connected with your previous discussion. It can be a link to an article or a work you quoted during the conversation.
Take initiatives to give For effective learning, citing ideal balance between taking and giving is imperative. Be ready to push yourself and give whatever you have learned. Share your experiences, insights and knowledge with others. By contributing your knowledge, you get the opportunity to stand out from the rest. This fuels your personal brand promotion and helps in carving out a unique space for yourself in the already crowded tech industry.
Consistent contributions make you get recognized as an expert in your domain and pave way for better business opportunities in future. Executing the above listed four strategies will ensure that business conferences ’ end up as mere formal networking sessions for you and instead will generate tangible ROI.
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