If you’re a small business owner, you know that networking is essential for growing your business. But attending the same networking events week after week, sipping the same boring coffee and trying to strike up conversations can get tiring. This is where speed networking comes in to freshen things up! These events are designed to create opportunities for quick, meaningful conversations that help you expand your network. But with only a few minutes to make an impression, some people can be intimidated. That’s why we’re going to share our favorite networking tips and tricks, be it traditional or speed networking. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or a newbie to the game, read on to learn how to make the most out of your next event.
Speed Networking vs. Traditional Networking
Pretty much all forms of networking have their purpose. There is very rarely one that is better than the other. We host our own small, weekly networking meetings, but we always recommend that people join other larger groups like your local Chamber of Commerce in addition to the small ones. You’re going to get a different experience out of each.
The same idea applies to traditional vs. speed networking. With traditional networking, you get the opportunity to give your message to more people. With speed networking, however, you get the opportunity to get more in-depth about your message. Here are some more great things about speed networking:
Speed networking doesn’t have to be intimidating. More one-on-one time with people is a great thing! It gives you the time to build deeper relationships and create a referral-giving relationship with your fellow business partners. That’s what networking is all about, right? You do have to treat it differently than your regular meeting though. Here’s some advice for how to survive your upcoming speed networking event:
Bottom line: Don’t be a jerk. Don’t spew your buzzwords everywhere. Don’t skip to the end. Get to know someone before asking for their money. You’d think it would be obvious, but every seasoned networker has a plethora of stories about how many times they’ve been approached by someone and got added to that person’s email list without any semblance of relationship. Those people lose the chance to ever get to know people because of those interactions. Just relax and let things unfold how they’re going to unfold.
If you’re looking for an opportunity to use these tips and tricks, come join us at our Speed Networking Event on Tuesday, April 18th! We’re hosting at Ruzzo’s Retreat, off of Highways 224 and 212 in Damascus, from 5:30 - 8:30pm. Ruzzo’s makes hard citrus beverages that are absolutely delicious and they’ll have food carts on property for dinner. We’d love to have you and your guests join us! Click the link below to RSVP on Facebook.
Looking for more tips to help you run your business? We'd love to help! Click here to sign up for Flourish Monthly, our newsletter where we primarily send you marketing tips and tricks to help you run your business, but we throw in some non-marketing related tips every once in a while as well. We never send spam and we'll never sell your information. We just want to help you out!
Flourish Marketing only collects the data you choose to send us through our contact form. Partners like Google and ShareThis collect anonymous usage data to help us understand how our site is used. We do not share or sell any data collected through our website.