Last time, we talked about how world-class rainmakers make a habit of using every networking event to maximum advantage. They start by choosing the right events and organizations for networking—events and organizations where their target clients are likely to be. You can do this, too and hopefully you have been looking carefully at your commitments and deciding which are the best use of your non-billable time.

Habit #5: Transform Networking Events Spent Wandering Around Marketing Into Focused Activity That Produces Tangible Results – Part 2

This week I’m going to give you a few tips on how to make your next networking event pay bigger dividends for you. Let’s start with making a plan. Who do you want to meet? Hint: ten targets is a good number. Ask yourself, “How can I make sure I meet my targets if they are in the room?” One excellent way is to get to your event early.

• If the cocktail hour starts at 5:30, get there by 5:10 so you can meet the leaders of the organization and the planners of the event.
• Peruse the nametag table and get ready to talk with any of the 10 from your list who will be in attendance. Standing near the nametag table can give you a chance to meet one or two of your key targeted people before the evening gets into full swing.
• Most attendees lose the advantage of the evening. They leave work late, get caught in rush hour, and slide in just before the speaker starts talking. If it’s a dinner, they are stuck with the other seven or nine people at their table, eating rubber chicken and trying to catch contacts on the way out, after the event. This poor planning can be costly, not just in the cost of the event but also in lost opportunities.
• At the meeting, you may also run into people you want to get to know better but who are not on your target list. Talk with them for a few minutes, but make a date for lunch or breakfast at another time. Then you will have time to develop a plan of action that will work for those individuals, and it won’t dilute your time spent at this particular event.

One final reminder: Time is money so plan your time so every event you attend becomes an investment that yields a high return.

Program Update: Last Thursday’s Raising the Bar 90-minute seminar, "LinkedIn Secrets for Lawyers & CPAs" was a tremendous success and I am sorry if you missed it. We’ll be letting you know about future events here and on LinkedIn. If you are not already a member of the Raising the Bar: Social Media Marketing for Lawyers and CPAs Group, then email me right now requesting to join and I’ll get back to you right away. In the meantime, remember that you can arrange for one-on-one LinkedIn coaching with Raising the Bar’s social media consultant, Jeffrey Brathwaite by contacting me.

How will you work your next networking event?

• Who is on your target list?
• Who do you know who will be there that could introduce you to your target(s)?
• How will you be sure you arrive 20 minutes early?