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Great question, especially as we go into Fall and business gets back into full swing after Labor Day.

Make networking events more effective by becoming more discerning about which events to attend. Choose only those events and organizations for networking where your target clients are likely to be. Hopefully you have been looking carefully at your commitments and deciding which are the best use of your non-billable time.

Here are a few tips on how to make your next networking event pay bigger dividends. Start by making a plan. Ask yourself,

Who do I want to meet?

Hint: ten targets is a good number. Then 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. Most attendees lose the advantage getting there early would give them. 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 is over. This poor planning can be expensive, not just in the cost of the event but also in lost opportunities. If you get there early, you have already set yourself up to succeed. 

• 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. 
• 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.

 Until next time,

 Robin