Networking with a Purpose

I was at a networking event recently and I broke one of the rules of networking. I didn’t have my business cards with me. You can just imagine meeting a potential client and not being able to exchange business cards instead I had an excuse to mumble about why I didn’t have my cards with me.

As an entrepreneur, never leave home without your business card because you never know when they may come in handy. Make sure you dont waste every opportunity to share your business and show your brilliance to the world. Enough of the excuses I made a quick dash to the car for my business cards and I was back in business ready to mingle and network.

Another major NO at a networking event is going personal in your conversation unless of course you are conversing with a very good friend otherwise a networking event is not the place to do that. The people at the event are there to network for their business and not to hear your family story.

Before you step into a networking event it would be wise to ask yourself some questions.

1. Why am I attending this event?
2. What purpose do i hope to achieve for my business?
3. Can my business message be shared in a simple but catchy way?
4. Do I have my cards ready and handy to give out at the event?
5. How many people do I want to share my business with at the event?

Don’t over eat or get drunk but no one is going to fault you for over mingling and networking.

So the next time you are invited to a networking event go with a purpose: to promote your business.

To your networking success.