Boost Your Business Networking with Productive Strategies

Effective business networking isn't about attending every event and talking to everyone. It's about strategic engagement. Your first step is to invest time in pre-event research, transforming yourself from a passive participant to a proactive networker. Familiarize yourself with the event format, agenda, and speaker topics. If an attendee list is available, research their LinkedIn profiles beforehand. A glance at their professional experience and posts will give you an opportunity to find common ground and craft targeted conversation starters, avoiding generic small talk.

It seems like this question is all about effective time management at business networking events, but if you really want to manage your networking time, avoid events, if at all possible. Conference and networking events sound like a great place to network, but they really aren't. It's like going to a bar to meet someone to date. You don't have any control over who is there and whether they want to talk to you. Focus your networking on who you already know. There are plenty of people in your network you lost touch with. Reconnect. Talk to them. Help them. And when they ask how they can help you, tell them who you want them to introduce you to. Now you have a new networking contact. It sounds slower, but it works better.

Last updated on Apr 22, 2024

What do you do if you want to maximize productivity and minimize time wasted in business networking?

Business networking is vital for growth and success, but it's easy to get caught up in events and interactions that don't yield results. To maximize productivity and minimize time wasted, you need a strategy that ensures every networking opportunity is leveraged efficiently. This means setting clear goals, identifying the right contacts, preparing effectively, engaging with purpose, following up promptly, and continuously evaluating your networking activities. By focusing on these key areas, you can build valuable relationships while keeping your time investment to a minimum.

1 Set Goals

Before attending any networking event, define what you hope to achieve. Are you looking to find potential clients, meet industry influencers, or gather market insights? Having clear objectives will guide your interactions and help you prioritize whom to talk to. This focus prevents you from spending too much time on conversations that are unlikely to be beneficial. Remember, your time is valuable, and having a goal-oriented approach to networking can significantly increase your productivity.

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2 Identify Contacts

Research who will be attending the networking events and identify individuals who align with your goals. Use social media platforms or event attendee lists to learn about their business interests and background. This pre-event preparation allows you to target your efforts towards the most relevant contacts, ensuring that the time you spend networking is productive and directed towards fostering meaningful professional relationships.

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Dr. Ethel Hazard

Social, environmental, and technological networks - Third-sector strategist - Communicates bold ideas in three languages - Hemispheric Afro-Americas, African Indigeneity, and Filipino history and culture
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When attending conferences outside of the academic space, I prepare in my business journal two lists that I complete at the end of each day and over the course of the event. A "digital keep" functions similarly to a journal. What are my knowledge/information/data acquisition goals? Who do I want to meet, how and why? When I am a panelist or speaker, the same holds true but I change the acquisition goal to a transfer one. Also, in advance, I consciously plan to interact and include as many categorically different people as possible---each phase of career, every industry or sector, demographic group, etc. A Jordanian dorm-mate taught me the relationship value of sharable fruits or nuts. Midday and pre-dinner snack times are best.

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3 Prepare Effectively

Arrive at each networking event with a mental or physical list of topics to discuss and questions to ask. This preparation ensures that your conversations are substantive and goal-directed. Additionally, rehearsing a succinct and compelling elevator pitch about your business will help you communicate your value proposition quickly and effectively, leaving more time for meaningful dialogue.

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Witold Antosiewicz

▪️ Community and networking mentor ▪️ Business relationship expert ▪️
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Effective business networking isn't about attending every event and talking to everyone. It's about strategic engagement. Your first step is to invest time in pre-event research, transforming yourself from a passive participant to a proactive networker. Familiarize yourself with the event format, agenda, and speaker topics. If an attendee list is available, research their LinkedIn profiles beforehand. A glance at their professional experience and posts will give you an opportunity to find common ground and craft targeted conversation starters, avoiding generic small talk.

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Beenish Mehar (.

Hydrogen Economist & International Speaker | Co- Owner Stechenergies | Bridging Gap For World Sustainability | Energy Policy | Aquaprenuer |
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This is what I personally admire to be prepared yourself efficiency and effectively, curated your messages accordingly and deliver with confidence to avoid distraction and be very clear and intelligent while delivering it.

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4 Engage Purposefully

At the event, engage with your contacts purposefully. Listen actively and show genuine interest in what others have to say. This approach not only helps in building rapport but also allows you to gather valuable information that can lead to mutually beneficial opportunities. Quality interactions are more productive than a high quantity of superficial exchanges, so focus on deepening a few strategic connections rather than spreading yourself too thin.

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5 Follow Up

After the event, follow up promptly with new contacts while the interaction is still fresh in their minds. Send personalized messages that reference specific points from your conversation. This level of detail shows that you were engaged and are serious about developing the relationship further. Timely follow-ups keep the momentum going and can turn a brief encounter into a lasting professional connection.

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6 Evaluate Continuously

Finally, take time to evaluate the effectiveness of your networking efforts. Reflect on whether you met your goals for each event and consider what you could do differently next time. Continuous evaluation helps refine your networking strategy, ensuring that with each event, you become more efficient at identifying and seizing opportunities that align with your business objectives.

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7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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Greg Roche

I teach introverts how to be better networkers👊🏼Get my weekly newsletter with my best networking tips in the link below👇Total Rewards leader with 15+ yrs comp & ben exp. in healthcare, real estate, cybersecurity, M&A
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It seems like this question is all about effective time management at business networking events, but if you really want to manage your networking time, avoid events, if at all possible. Conference and networking events sound like a great place to network, but they really aren't. It's like going to a bar to meet someone to date. You don't have any control over who is there and whether they want to talk to you. Focus your networking on who you already know. There are plenty of people in your network you lost touch with. Reconnect. Talk to them. Help them. And when they ask how they can help you, tell them who you want them to introduce you to. Now you have a new networking contact. It sounds slower, but it works better.

Like

Unhelpful

What do you do if you want to maximize productivity and minimize time wasted in business networking?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Set Goals

2 Identify Contacts

3 Prepare Effectively

4 Engage Purposefully

5 Follow Up

6 Evaluate Continuously

7 Here’s what else to consider

Business Networking

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What do you do if you want to maximize productivity and minimize time wasted in business networking?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Set Goals

2 Identify Contacts

3 Prepare Effectively

4 Engage Purposefully

5 Follow Up

6 Evaluate Continuously

7 Here’s what else to consider

Business Networking

Rate this article

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