Networking events can be great places for making contacts – but they can also be tricky to navigate if you don’t arrive prepared. You not only want to make an impression, you want to make sure people remember you for the right reasons – the main one being, you’re someone they’d like to do business with.
So what steps can you take to help wring every single drop of usefulness out of an event? To kick start your preparation, here’s five tips from MOO:
1. Do your homework
Research the guest list before you turn up. Who excites or interests you? You can always make contact beforehand on social media or LinkedIn and Xing to get a conversation started, or even email someone to let them know you’d love a few minutes of their time at the event.
2. Get the attitude
Smile – although not constantly, that’s slightly weird. But the point is, people are attracted to positivity, so smile, and relax – everyone is in the same position. If joining conversations makes you nervous, prepare a few failsafe conversation starter questions. Remember, people love to talk about themselves!
3. Remember to listen
It sounds obvious, but if you just use every conversation as an excuse to tell people how great your business is, it won’t leave people wanting more. A better tactic is to listen to their story, and make subtle notes so that later on, you can follow up and have a two-way discussion about working together.
4. Have a great business card
When someone asks you for your card, it’s an opportunity to be remembered– so don’t waste it with flimsy paper or a forgettable design. At MOO, we use premium paper as standard (try our triple thick Luxe range for added oomph!) and our Printfinity option let’s you print a different design on every card at no extra cost. A great way to show off your portfolio, products or range of services.
Don’t forgot the follow up
You did your research, you had great conversations and you collected the right business cards – so what next? Don’t leave it too long before you take the next step. An email or call is a quick and simple follow up but why not go that extra step to really stand out and send a handwritten notecard with a personal message.
MOO is passionate about helping businesses look their best with premium paper products. Choose from business cards in a range of sizes and paper types and stationery including postcards, flyers, stickers and labels. And with the MOO promise we’ll move heaven and earth to make sure you get exactly what you want – or your money back!
