7 Etiquette Best Practices for Your Next Networking Event
This is a guest post by Matt Heinz, founder and principal of Heinz Marketing, LLC.
You’ve seen what not to do. You’ve likely experienced it more than once. The guy who talks only about himself. The contact who’s constantly scanning the room for someone else. The sales rep who paid good money to be there, but forgot to bring business cards.
If you’re going to invest time (and money) in attending networking events, know why you’re there. Know what you want to get out of it. Know what success looks like at the end of the evening.
And while you’re there, get and give more value by following these best practices:
- Know your targets ahead of time: Who do you want to meet? What do you know about them? Could you pick them out of the room if you saw them? There are always people in the room you particularly want to speak with. Have a game plan going in.
- Have business cards: Not everyone uses them, but you never know who will want one. Even if they prefer email or LinkedIn, your card is a visual reminder of the conversation and your value.
- Be proactive but don’t interrupt: Sometimes getting into a conversation at a networking event includes joining one in progress. Don’t be afraid to step into existing conversation circles, but wait for acknowledgement (at least eye contact, if not a verbal recognition) before jumping in.
- Focus on them: No matter who you’re speaking with, show genuine interest. Ask questions, listen to the answers, offer value back.
- Be respectful: Not everyone you speak with will be high on your target list. Give everyone a few minutes, don’t blow people off immediately. You never know who they know, who they might become, and whether you might need them down the road.
- Bring something to take notes with: A folded piece of copy paper is fine. Thin Moleskine notebooks are better. Take notes, action items, and other information that you’ll forget before the end of the night.
- Follow up with a thank you: Email at minimum (a couple lines is all you need), but a hand-written card is better.
Matt Heinz is the founder and principal of Heinz Marketing LLC, a sales & marketing consulting group focused on helping clients accelerate sales, customer and revenue growth. Learn more about Heinz Marketing at www.heinzmarketing.com, or read more from Matt at www.mattonmarketingblog.com.
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Very nice list. I have been honing my networking skills and this is a nice, concise list of really great tips. I especially like the tip about bringing something to take notes with. Duh.
I have found that I like to write on the back of the business card a little code like: t=send thank you only, we have no further business together at this point; f=make a followup connection; this is a particularly valid contact and I need to followup with something specific…this is where the notebook would come in handy as you don’t necessarily want to write big notes on the card about what specifically you want to followup with (invite them to an event, schedule a meeting to discuss business, etc.)
[…] like at the end of the evening. Get and give more value by following the best practices outlined in 7 Etiquette Best Practices for Your Next Networking Event from Seattle etiquette consultant, speaker and business etiquette columnist Arden Clise of Clise […]
Carole,I love your codes for the back of a business card. Great idea. I agree, I neglect to bring a notebook too and often end up trying to write notes on a small business card.
Glad you enjoyed the tips. Matt is terrific.