networking
Live Event Networking Tips
Well, yesterday I booked myself a seat at a Live Event happening in Washington DC in December – it was very last minute, but an opportunity came up so I grabbed it. I’m heading to the 7 Event hosted by David Neagle, Suzanne Evans, Blue Melnick and Bari Baumgartner in order to learn new business strategies to help transform my business. In fact I am going with a colleague (friend) I originally met at another conference in 2009!)
Now they say that you can’t teach old dog new tricks, but you can teach them something new about business. I try to learn many new things every month to help me improve my business and my service to clients. There is so much you can bring to your business – marketing, sales, organization, management, leadership – and many of these skill lessons are best learned in person at live events.
Live events have a myriad of opportunities, that you almost have to be wearing running shoes to get around to taking advantage of them all. One plus in particular is learning new business techniques. There is not a single person (and that applies to gurus as well) who couldn’t stand to learn a thing or two. In fact, they will probably be the first ones in line.
The person who has stopped learning has also stopped growing. The only limits that are placed on your business are self-imposed. The Internet is a wealth of knowledge for the one who can access it – trust me I have learned this BIG time in the past 3 years! – but did you ever stop to think where that knowledge was received?
At least some of it was gained at live business events. Here, you are exposed not only to people who can expand on marketing techniques that you currently utilize, but also individuals who have found new ways to harness business power.
Stop and think for a moment. Those who host these events are looking for the best and the brightest to entice you to come. These people prove time and time again that there is more than meets the eye when it comes to business.
Here are a few things you can take part in and learn from at Live Events:
- Brainstorming sessions – Imagine the energy in the room when hundreds of entrepreneurs get together at tables to discuss new ways to improve each others’ businesses? Be sure to take copious notes to refer to later and get the names of everyone at the table.
- Visit the Vendor area – This is an opportunity for businesses to highlight their products and services. You can learn about new programs computer programs, business software and get to demo items right there on site.
- Keep all Materials given to you – Within the pages of those handouts are vital information. Speakers may lay out for you how they go about promoting new products, implement new programs and techniques and list online resources for you. You may want to bring a binder, folders, tote bag or a briefcase to hold everything you will get so it is easier to reference later.
- Networking – This has got to be the #1 benefit to attending any live event. The People... you can meet such a variety of people at all stages in their business and each one with something to share.Take advantage of this, roam around, sit in different places each session, open up and say hello. Networking is what will grow your contacts, your vision and your business.
Attend live events with an open mind. Be ready to expect the unexpected and get immersed into business techniques you haven’t tried before. I will be certain to report on the goings on in Washington. I won’t be able to take a White House tour (it seems – you have to book those 5 weeks in advance) but I will be certainly exploring as much as I can.
Any tips on the “Not to be Missed in Washington”? Post them here so I can do a little planning! And feel free to share any Live Event Networking tips you have, either here or on our Facebook Page.
Speaking at an Event – Tips to Shine
There is nothing like attending networking events – whether regular ones or special events. Sometime you may not be as keen to go, especially if you are presenting for the first time. Standing in front of all of those people has great advantages. So put your best foot forward and reap the benefits.
Someone may ask you to speak at a bigger and live event or networking event. Maybe you have done small sessions at your own networking meetings and it was a thrill because you were networking and getting your name out there. Also, someone wanted YOU. Your marketing has paid off in big ways and involving yourself in these activities increases your credibility and expert status.
Now, you are going to take part in a live event where you will actually stand face-to-face with those in the audience, it can be nerve-wracking as well as exhilarating.
Take a deep breath and get ready. You want to shine and the only way to do that is to prepare.
Know the main focus of the event
Share with the group in the session your knowledge and expertise based on what the event is trying to highlight. If it is geared towards a niche then feel free to discuss how you got into your niche, what marketing techniques you use and new ways to expand the niche.
Know the other presenters
Some of them may be sitting in your audience. If they are more seasoned than you, prepare a few questions for them about how they stay calm and at ease before a presentation.
Practice a lot
There is no substitute for this one. The way to avoid those dead silent moments when it seems that all your thoughts fly away is to get up and go over your speech many times. This is also how you prepare to deliver well-timed jokes. The more practice you get in, the more comfortable you will feel going off script when the inspiration hits you.
Have materials in place
The audience will want handouts. Prepare something eye-catching as well as informative for them to read and hang on to. You can create a packet of material including your business card and other pertinent information about how to reach you. Don’t forget to place a sign-up sheet at the door so you can contact them later.
Present your products
Don’t forget to bring along some freebies and priced products so that as soon as the presentation is over, they can get everything they need right away. One tip though, don’t make your presentation a pitch fest. You’ll do better if you remember that it’s about the giving of information and the helping. The rest will happen naturally.
When you take center stage, make sure you TAKE CENTER STAGE and Shine! Use your presentation as a platform for gaining new business partners, new customers and more sales.
Speaking at an event can do lots for your business – whether a live event or even as I have done sometimes with an online event. Have you been a speaker before? Any other advice to pass along? Please share your tips.
5 Tips for Networking Success after the ‘Live’ Event
Do you often attend in-person or ‘Live’ events? Seminars or training events, even meetups – whether local or requiring travel – can be a great way to learn and network with other business individuals. Referrals, contacts and even friendships can develop at events and seminars. After each event you’ll want to take a breath. But, don’t breathe too long. There is work to be done that mustn’t wait. Seize the day!
The tendency is to think about the exciting things you learned and the people you met – for a while. After a week, you seem to lose your enthusiasm and settle back into life before the event. That is the last thing you want to do especially where your business is concerned.
Now, is the time to cement that lasting impression that you believe you made on the people you met at the seminar. Don’t let a moment go by, from the time you get home, that you are not harnessing the power of that meeting. Besides you know yourself that out of sight truly does mean out of mind if there is no contact for a while.
Here are a few tips to help you get the ball rolling on that pocket full of business cards, that camera full of pictures and that briefcase (or tote) full of helpful handouts and resources.
- Create a new plan. Now that your head is swimming with ideas, take out that handy notebook and look at what you’ve jotted down. If you have been putting off a new program or service for one reason or another, this may be the perfect time to get going. Find out a new way to streamline the process and create a plan to get the ball rolling right now.
- Email your new colleagues. Each business card in your hand should contain the website and email address of the one who handed it to you. Contact each person individually and tell them what a great time you had meeting them. To give them a mental picture of you, include your picture at the end of the email. What will impress them is if you can recount one tidbit from your conversation with them and include it also.
- Get involved in online social networking. Find your new connections on all the social networks: Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Invite them to be friends or followers (depending on the site) so you can keep in contact.
- Blog about the experience. Get your readers interested in the event happenings. Share your experiences and any new business takeaway advice you received.
- Develop new products. Talk about leveraging! You can turn that one seminar presentation into a wealth of digital products. Create an e-course on your topic. Use the handouts as filler for your monthly newsletter, content for your site or new topics for video media. Those brainstorming techniques you developed at the event will come in handy now.
What did you learn at your last live event? Did you do anything with the knowledge? Hopefully you did. If not, use these five tips to reawaken the enthusiasm and create new action items.
Choosing an Event or Conference to Attend
Whether you are a Brick and Mortar Business or an online business – events are happening everywhere – Online, Live and Local. Live events are a great way to network with others in your business field. Human interaction builds strong relationships especially relationships that have a foundation online. They are also a great way to practice networking skills in person. But what events are right for you? The trick is knowing where to look. Here are a few suggestions:
• Check local Business organizations for posted events.
• Visit your favorite blogs/websites for information. If these people are speaking or attending a conference they will want to let their readers know about it.
• Visit online forums. Business forums usually have a place where they list upcoming events both online and offline.
• Visit social networking sites. These are great for business connections – Facebook is one main place where many people or groups post events and send out invites.
Now that you have found some options, how do you choose one? Look at what your goal is for attending the event? You will want to choose live events that are relevant to your business. You wouldn’t attend a crafting seminar if you sell gardening supplies. And, you probably would pass on a seminar that highlights how offline businesses can get into online markets if you already own an online business.
Here are some pointers to making a decision:
• Check geographic location – Your first time out, you might want to stay close to home to lower costs. Money is often tight when you are starting a business.
• Look at event registration costs – Will you recoup the fees?
• Look at the speakers – Who is coming to regale you with their business savvy? If the speakers involved are other business owners or role models in your industry that you have been wanting to meet, don’t pass up the chance to have your questions answered and gain some insight. Adding a face to face will really help gel your connections as well. Contacts made at events can have long lasting benefits.
Choosing a live event to attend doesn’t have to be a hard decision. Gather as much information as you can about upcoming events, their location and fees so you can map out your networking strategy. And it should all be about strategy – why you want to attend and what you will gain from attending.
I recently attended NAMS in Atlanta – Niche Affiliate Marketing Systems. I chose to go for a few reasons:
1. I wanted to learn more about Affiliate Marketing and how it works.
2. It was an opportunity to meet two of my clients in person – one from British Columbia and one from California.
3. There were many other top internet marketers there I have been following for more than one year and it was a chance to listen to their wisdom in person as well as meet them face to face.
When you make conference/event choices by strategically choosing reasons why or why not to go you will find your investment well worth it!
Tawnya Sutherland of VAnetworking
- Denise Wakeman of the Blog Squad
With a little help from my Friends
Paul McCartney is playing in Halifax this Saturday, his only show in Canada too! He’ll be playing on the Halifax Common – a green space meant to be open to share for use by all residents and I believe they are expecting 60,000 people.
Anyhow, in my attempt to win tickets for my brother-in-law, I have been listening to News95.7 and the Beatles & Paul McCartney have been playing over and over in my head. I won’t describe to you the horror I put so many people through today as I sang my song (made up by me) to the listeners of the show - you had to go on air and sing to be in the draw to win.
That’s my segue to, the title of my blog post today! I chose this song to showcase my social media experience this past week to my readers. Social media is more than a marketing channel/tool, it is also about networking and connecting with others.
Last Friday I had a client run into some issues with her Facebook fanpage. I was asked to figure out why it wasn’t working properly. After much searching, I found myself stumped. So… I started putting out my ‘feelers’ to see if anyone else could help figure it out. I used Twitter, facebook and some blogs all weekend and through until yesterday.
Finally this morning, 5 days later, I found the answer with a little help from a friend of sorts; but many ‘friends’ were trying to help me figure it out. These were not people I have ever met, yet they were attempting to help me just the same.
What was in it for them, you might ask? Nothing. So why would they bother? Simple, to help out a ‘friend’ who happens to be someone they have never met and probably never will. Being helpful is the only reason why any of these people made contact with me. Connecting and networking… that’s all it was about and I am so grateful they took the time to help me, and ultimately my client.
The next time you are talking about social media and Twitter and Facebook and don’t seem to get it all… try thinking of it as the water cooler or staffroom in your office. When you are sitting at your office stumped on a problem, where do you turn? To your co-workers in the office… well, social media works in the same way sometimes; the only difference being that the ‘office’ of each party involved most likely spans a great distance and they may never meet face to face.
The ‘bug’ was noticed by Salman Ansari, with Involver . Salman, I really appreciate your help. It was a simple solution, but one that took an extra set of eyes! Involver is a company that has some great Facebook Applications for Pages – definitely check them out! I use them with many of my clients. Salman, you also helped out someone else having the same problem, she contacted me after seeing the posts, and once I found the fix, I passed on the info to ehr as well!
Thanks to everyone else (I hope I do not forget anyone) who helped by retweeting my posts or commenting back on a blog or sending me a message on Facebook or Twitter. I am grateful for the time you gave to me and my problem.
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