Networking is essential in creating brand awareness whether you love it or hate it. People love doing business with people they trust and know.
Here are six effective ways to network and create brand awareness from Forbes Magazine.
- Don’t Sell – The purpose of the event is to meet people, not sell your business. If someone seems interested, get their contact information and do a follow-up the next day. This can be via email, LinkedIn, and/or a phone call.
- Eat/Drink with your left hand – You will be shaking a lot of hands, so eating and drinking with your left hand will keep your right hand clean and free for meeting new people during this event.
- Know your elevator speech – People will ask about your company and role. Give them a little color by explaining what your company does.
- Repeat the person’s name – When meeting someone new, repeat their name back to them: “Very nice to meet you, Bob.” This will increase the likelihood that you will remember their name.
- Maintain eye contact – It can be irritating to talk to someone and watch their eyes scan the room instead of being engaged with you. Maintaining eye contact is good manners. If you are looking out for someone, make that known, so that the person you are talking with doesn’t feel ignored.
- Break into a group politely – If you see a group you are interested in, don’t approach and immediately being speaking. This can be rude, and you might be interrupting. Instead, step up, smile, and make eye contact with one or two people. When there is an appropriate pause, then you can introduce yourself.
When you are at a networking event, you are there to meet new people. This can be uncomfortable, but know that others are probably uncomfortable as well. The key is to move around the room and chat with as many people you don’t know as possible. Word of mouth is the best marketing, so getting your name and company out there is key. Networking is one of the best ways to do this.
For more helpful business tips, visit the Augusta back office specialists at www.richardsonprosolutions.com.