Maybe you already know how to network

You’re right at home at a networking event. You recognize the importance of a strong social network. You’re the King of the Elevator Pitch and you can small talk over cocktails and appetizers like you were born idle rich.

But beyond a very impressive stack of business cards, what do you have to show for it?

I’m not trying to make light of this, but remember, this isn’t a contest of who can collect the most friends on Facebook. In the real world of business, those are worth as much as your WarCraft points. There are a lot of reasons to go to a networking event but I’m going to assume that the most important one is to move your business forward.

It’s not about the number of people you talk to

You cannot rate the strength of a network by the amount of people in it. Just knowing a lot of people doesn’t really mean all that much. The real questions are deeper:

• How many people in your network will vouch for you (for a job, promotion, or contract)?
• How many will evangelize you and your enterprise when you’re not around?
• How many will invest or introduce you to other people who will?

These people are the core of your network. The rest are nothing more than filler.

You’re at a networking event to generate business, not make friends

When meeting people in a business context, you cannot forget that you’re there to generate business, not make friends. Yes, it pays to be nice to everybody because you never know whom they know, but you should focus on people who have a direct ability to assist you in your business.

This is pretty obvious but how do you do this?

How to Network (A Networking Event Process)

Here’s my “networking event” process. See which parts work for you.

1.  Homework  – Who’s attending?

Prior to a networking event I do my homework by trying to figure if anybody attending will be of specific interest to me. Nowadays, it’s getting more common to find the guest list online. But not always, and it’s not always complete. I call the organizer and casually ask who’s coming. If you’re polite and frame the query under the guise of trying to decide if you’re going to attend, you’ll be surprised what kind of information you can get. If they don’t have a guest list? Well, that tells you something else.

2.  Homework – Deeper dive

If I do find someone of interest, I do a deeper dive on that person. I try to find out through conventional sources as much as I can about them. What projects they’re working on, where they went to college, hobbies, etc. I do this because I want our conversation to go as smoothly as possible. I also try to find a recent picture of them so I can spot them in a crowd.

3.  Arrival – Approach the host

When I first get to the event, I immediately introduce myself to the host. I don’t know why people don’t do this more. It’s such a no brainer. Chances are, the host knows most of the people attending. By getting in with the host and sharing the details of my business, I give the host the chance to be a good host and introduce me to people who might be useful to me (or vice versa) whom I didn’t even know were there. Also, this initial contact allows me to approach the host later in the event if I haven’t had a chance to speak with my target and ask for an introduction. This is always preferable to a cold opening.

4.  Departing – Say good-bye to the right people

When I’m getting ready to leave, I always make sure to say good-bye to the host and every single person who gave me a business card (if they’re still there). You’d be surprised how far this small courtesy goes.  A musician friend of mine once told me that it didn’t really matter what you played in the middle of the solo because people weren’t really listening. You had to start strong so people knew you were beginning and you had to end strong so folks knew when to clap but the rest was just filler. Of course, he was being facetious, but the same general principle applies. Start and end strong and people will remember you.

5.  Right after the event – Take notes on the cards

As soon as I get back to my car, I start making notes about the people I met on the cards that they gave me. I am as thorough as I have to be. If they made a request of me, I make sure I write it down. If I made of them, I write that down too so I can follow it up. I write down any personal information anybody shared with me because I want to be able to refer to it casually if I see them again.

6.  Right after the event – Take deeper notes

I then break out my notebook and list any requests I’m responsible for with their due dates as well as requests I have made to others for me to check on. I do this because  I want everything pertaining to the prior event on one page for my records. The business card notations are strictly personal information which I organize separately (this seems like busy work but it’s an important step which I will get into more later). Following up on requests is a simple and effective way to show that you’re a person to be taken seriously. Very few people follow up. Do it and you instantly set yourself apart.

7.  The following days – Follow up

Next (starting the next day), I go through my contacts and see who is worth pursuing. This has a lot to do with my subjective impression of the person so experience matters here. Lots of people are great networkers but have no ability to execute. Those people are usually a waste of my time, so hopefully I’ve written that down in my notes right after the event. Once I’ve found some good leads, I start the process for setting up a lunch — my favorite part of the business dance and the single most effective Social Capital tool if you know how to do it right.

8.  As soon as you can - Start the lunch process

I don’t consider a networking event a success for me unless I get a lunch or two out of it. If I take someone to lunch, it means I want them to be a member of my core network and not just filler. In fact, networking is just a way for me to get to lunch. Why? Because I know that if our various offerings make sense, I can close anybody over lunch. A well-executed lunch is the single best way to generate Social Capital quickly and efficiently. Lunch is where actual business can start and you have to do it right. We’ll get into that next.

Also, many of you probably noticed that this entire process contains very little about the nuts and bolts of the actual networking event. Don’t worry, we’ll cover that in a later post. In the meantime, ask yourself this question: Could it be that homework, preparation and follow through are more important than the networking event itself?

If you’re nodding your head, good - you’re catching on.

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