At your next networking event, walk in with a strategy!

Here is a short list of highly effective networking tips. Give each one careful thought. Try to implement them at your next networking event. Observe the results. Then consider how often people do not follow these tips and then go on to complain about their respective networking experiences!

1. Networking is about projecting a positive attitude. A smile is contagious. Never project negative energy and strive to stay out of other people’s negative force field.
2. Networking is about projecting a professional attitude and having a great business card with current information at the ready.
3. Networking is more about farming than hunting. It’s about cultivating trust and developing relationships.
4. Networking is about listening more than talking.
Don’t you hate it when you go to an event, get cornered by someone, and can’t escape a canned elevator speech? Make it a point to ask people questions, remember the responses, and engage them again on the same topics in the future. People notice when others listen.
5. Networking is about proposing a next step. After you’ve listened to another professional explain what she does and what she is looking for, don’t just nod politely – throw out a concrete idea. This will increase your value in her eyes. Perhaps you know someone who can help her solve a specific problem. Offer to make that phone call and then do it.