Business networking

From time to time we shall organise Business Networking Events. Details of these events shall be published on this page:

 In order for you to obtain as much value as possible from the forthcoming event we would like to suggest the following tips:

1.  Try to speak to as many delegates as possible during the event. It is better to have a short chat with a large number of delegates rather than a long talk with just a few.

2. It is important that you bring your business cards and swap as many as possible. This way you will have the contact details of the delegates you have spoken to and they will have yours.

3. If you agree to contact some delegates who you meet make sure that you do so within 24 hours of the meeting. It is amazing how short some people’s memories are and if you contact them the following day there is more liklihood of them remembering you.

4. Try not to hard sell your business. People do not like being sold to. The best way to promote your business is to talk about other topics in addition to your products and services such as your hobbies, holidays and other subjects. We are not suggesting that you do not mention your business at all, but do not be too pushy. You may need to meet your potential customers a number of times before they actually become a customer.

5. Try to arrange to meet anyone who you meet at the forthcoming event a second or third time at one of our future events. This way you will be able to build on your relationship with them.

6. Make full use of our meeting point. This is where you can attach your business card onto one of our complimentary slips and then anyone who does not get the opportunity to speak to you during our event can then either write their own details onto the complimentary slip or attach their own business card onto it. You should then try to contact these delegates after the meeting has finished.

7. Use social media – twitter, face book and linked in to contact delegates. If you do not use these tools you may be losing out. Your competitors are probably using them already and contacting your customers by these methods. Contact us if you need help on how to use these important tools. You can use our wall on facebook to leave messages and improve your business profile. They will be read by many different business people.

8. Do not restrict your target audience to the delegates who turn up at our event. You may benefit from the friends, business associates, customers and suppliers of the delegates who attend. This could potentially run into many hundreds of people.

9. Do not restrict your networking activities to formal networking events. Almost every time you meet someone is a networking opportunity. In some ways it is better to network when you are not at a formal networking event because at formal events some people are a little guarded because they expect the other delegates to try to sell them some thing. If you casually meet new people in a pub or somewhere similar this could be a great chance to sell your services and products to them without them even realising that you are doing so.