So Friday, 16th June I attended my very first networking event. It was a local one, run by Maidenhead Chamber of Commerce, jointly with Business Girls Network and Business Biscotti. I had NO idea what to expect, what to wear (yes it’s important to a girl), what to say or who I’d meet.
Anyway, I rocked up with a bag full of business cards and some printed postcards with a synopsis of what services I offer. You meet so many people at these events it’s easy to forget what they do for a living. I was ready for whatever this networking event had to offer.
I must say it was interesting. I walked into a room where everyone was already chatting to each other and immediately felt a bit shy. I didn’t know anyone there and had no idea how to get chatting. Fortunately, the head of the Chamber of Commerce spotted me and introduced himself and then introduced me to someone else.
Once I’d chatted to a few people I excused myself to get some food and a drink and ended up with no-one to network with. So I watched the room for a bit, and noticed that the norm seemed to be to gently infiltrate a group of people chatting by just standing next to them. After a few seconds someone would turn, smile and start chatting to the newcomer. I thought, wow, how easy is that? So I gave it a go and lo and behold, it worked! I worked the room like that for the rest of the session.
I came away absolutely buzzing. I’d made loads of new contacts, given out my card and my flyers and have at least two leads to follow up next week, including one woman who just said, ‘I need you’ while looking extremely stressed.
What I’d say to anyone who was feeling anxious about these types of event is, start small. This was a local event for local business groups with around 15 or so people there. Don’t be shy to go up and stand next to a group or couple of people who are talking. Everyone is there for the same reason, to make contacts, grow their own businesses and help other local businesses. They WANT to talk to you, otherwise they wouldn’t be there. Tell them how you can help their businesses, why they should hire you but also mention you want to grow your network and be able to pass on valuable contacts to your own clients in case you can’t help.
Go, have fun, be yourself and talk!
