10 Tips For Making Network Work! By Stephanie Ward 1. Be Prepared. Set goals for who you want to meet and your objective for attending the event. Then prepare your networking kit: Plenty of business cards, your name badge, and business cards of those whose work you refer. 2. Arrive Early, Smile and Be Approachable. Preparation goes a long way in making you someone that other people will want to get to know. People do business with people they like. And you will be judged by others, like it or not, based on their first impression of you. 3. Have a Solid Plan. Networking is not selling, it is working to build relationships. Do you want to meet 3 people and focus on getting to know them really well? Are you looking for an introduction to a certain type of client? Are you looking for information or connections that will get you that information? When you have a plan, it is easier to stay focused and achieve your expected outcome. 4 It's Not About You. Be interesting and be interested in others. Listen more than you talk and ask good questions. Do not burden or bore people with your troubles or your problems. Everyone has enough of their own, and, trust me on this, they do not need or want to hear about yours. 5. Be a Connector. When you focus on "giving" and being helpful to others, the "getting" will come later ... and it will come in unexpected ways. Build a strong referral net and work for your partners. 6. Build a Board of Directors. Anything we do requires support from people. Who do you have in place to consciously and pro-actively support you? The only criteria for a Board of Directors member is that they want you to be successful. 7. Don't Sell. Word of mouth advertising is the most cost effective and powerful advertising. At every opportunity, teach others about who you are, as a person, and what it is that you do. Always present a clear emphasis on the type of client that you are looking for. In doing this, you will be building a sales force that can reach far wider than you can on your own. Don't use your first meeting to sell your product or service. 8. Follow up. After the event, send a thank you card or e-mail to each person that you had direct contact with. Since so many people fail to follow up, you can really stand out by just doing this simple act of reaching out to remind someone who you are and that you are interested in exploring a relationship. 9. Track Results. What goals have you set for networking? What will you track? Attendance to weekly leads groups, number of contacts made, thanks you notes or e-mails sent? There are a number of metrics. You decide which ones will be your barometer and track it religiously. 10. Be Accountable. Build and use your networking plan and measure your results. Change your plan if you need to. Find an accountability partner and reward yourself when you archive your goals. - See more at: http://www.trustpointtx.sandler.com/content/show/71846#sthash.cU9nWbxF.dpuf Sandler Management sales programs provides comprehensive sales management training to sales managers, executives and business owners in Dallas, Texas. Get yourself registered now for Sandler's Dallas sales training programs.
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