Networking, a strategic activity that many professionals practice in order to optimize their business opportunities. This is a fully-fledged prospecting method that may seem simple at first sight but requires real preparation.

Participating in events between professionals is far from easy for everyone. The fear of not knowing what to say, of not behaving properly and our education to "do not disturb" undermine these encounters, which offer many opportunities.

"Being sociable helps to network but is that enough for effective networking?"

Bernard Delvenne, Customer Experience Partner at WIZYOU, explains why it is so important to participate in networking activities and gives you 10 essential tips to deploy in order to prepare for them and feel better to perform.

The networking work is divided into 3 parts: preparation, action and follow-up. Each part being dependent on the previous one, here are 10 recommendations to be applied chronologically.

Preparation

Know your target audience

The first step to take to hope for good results is to be in the right place and network where your potential customers, partners are… To do this, it is essential to know your target audience in order to know where you are most likely to meet them. Your company's strategy will determine where you need to go. This choice is the key to success.

Prepare your message

It is important that you prepare your message. It must be centered, efficient and the same for all employees in your company. There is nothing more disturbing for a caller than hearing different messages from the same source.

For the realization of your pitch, keep in mind that a person's peak of attention lasts between 10 and 30 seconds. So this is the time you have to generate interest in yourself. How can you avoid drowning your message in all the other information received during the event? To have a pitch focused on customer benefit, on the advantage that the person in front of me will have of meeting me again. We must not speak in "I" but in "this solution will bring you…". Therefore, in a few seconds, you will convince and allow the prospect to speak. You can then listen to it and remember all the reasons why it will be essential for you to organise an appointment.

Prepare your attitude

Verbal is something to be prepared for and so is non-verbal. Generally speaking, it takes less than 2 seconds for an individual to get an idea of another person before he or she has even expressed himself or herself. It will therefore be necessary to put in place certain attitudes in order to positively influence the reactions of your interlocutor. This behavior will go through:

• Visual: a natural smile, looking into the eyes, a relaxed posture open to conversation and simple, unobtrusive gestures.
• Auditory: fluid speech flow, not too low a volume, presence of silence to let the other express himself and control of your intonation and accent.
• Olfactory: have a neat breath and a pleasant smell. Please do not hesitate to bring extra clothes if you are going to an event directly after a working day.
• Kinesthetic: have a firm handshake while avoiding sweaty hands.

Having an adapted and consistent non-verbal will allow you to satisfy one of the client's fundamental needs, which is to feel reassured.

Setting objectives

Before taking action, you will need to set SMARTER objectives (simple, measurable, achievable, pleasing, time-bound and "rewarding"). The goal here is to have a measure that motivates you to go out and meet people first and then to evaluate the effectiveness of your participation in the networking activity.

Example: in 1h30 of time, make 6 new meetings and distribute as many business cards in order to get 3 appointments.

Action

Arriving early

This will allow you to see the people you want to meet arrive. You may also contact the organizer to ask them to introduce you to certain people. The primary desire of the organizer of a networking event is for guests to discuss together. He will therefore always respond positively to your request.

Follow a canvas

It is important to put into action all the elements you have prepared. These points will be integrated into a framework that will allow the conversation to take a relaxed and pleasant turn that will not seem like yet another prospecting attack to the other person.

• Presentation
• Context issues
• Pitch exchange
• Open-ended questions about the other's activity
• Make an appointment if you feel there is a real interest

Listening actively

It goes without saying that listening will be the main weapon in order to point out the important elements to introduce your business. Feel free to ask open-ended questions and ask the person in front of you to repeat or rephrase to make sure you fully understand the message.

Take care of your non-verbal

Implement any attitude recommendations you have prepared in advance. Also, on the spot, don't forget to hold your glass with your left hand, to avoid a wet handshake. And above all, stay sober in order to keep control of yourself and not to appear ridiculous in your actions.

Follow-up 

Maintaining contact

To conclude an effective networking, it is always necessary to ensure the follow-up part. To do this, you will have to get back in touch with all the interesting people you have met, thanking them for the exchange you have had and offering them to continue it at a future meeting. Also, add them on LinkedIn or on a complete excel file to keep them permanently in your network. Remember to do what you promised: "I say what I do, I do what I say".

Network regularly

Finally, if you want to have a positive feedback on your networking activities, you will have to devote time to it with a particular regularity in relation to your needs. If you set an average of 3 appointments obtained during each event, it is up to you to establish continuity according to your objectives.

You now have all the tips and tricks you need to achieve quality networking. Keep in mind that this requires a structure based on the 3 phases: preparation, action and follow-up. Above all, be creative, proud of yourself and your projects and dare to reach out to others!

It's up to you!