How to Network at Events (Or Anywhere)

Your network defines your success.

Whether you are an entrepreneur, a sales rookie, or an evangelist, it is likely that your success depends on the trust you build within your social and business community.

People love you. But every time you are at a party or door-knocking to make that sale, your knees shake like a leaf trembled by a strong gale, and your palms sweat like it’s 41 degrees on a hot summer day.

Like yourself, I have been there too. Standing awkwardly in a corner at a social gathering. Quietly escaping through the crowd, avoiding brushing shoulders with people busy talking. Actively avoiding eye contact like the guilty puppy who ate all the treats while the dog-mom was looking away.

I can’t believe how easily I used to thread myself out through narrow gaps in that crowd-needle. Talking to strangers, connecting with new prospects (yes, I sell for a living), and attending any social or professional events would make me uncomfortable—just like you are.

However, we all have to grow. Challenge and learn. There isn’t a shortcut, is there?

During my journey, as I opened up to friends and mentors, I came across a couple of different ways to make it easier to connect with people.

While I can offer several strategies, I will share 3 simple and effective ways to network easily in a goal-oriented manner without feeling nervous.

👔  Dress for the Occasion

How you walk into the room is the first pitch to your audience.

I know. I know. This is the simplest one, and you’re probably already doing this. But I bet many aren’t.

Someone once advised me to consider dressing with a mindset to succeed, even if my calendar was not busy. And the results were strikingly different. My meetings than ever.

As cliché as it sounds, when people meet, appearance is what strikes immediately. In fact, a couple of prospects even mentioned to me that they would love to consider buying the services I offered because I was “professional” enough in my approach for their organization, and it reflected in my appearance.

To be clear, you don’t have to buy a Louis Vuitton suit. Just a plain black, gray, or blue suit with a white shirt does the magic. Imagine how you would feel if someone gave you the importance of dressing well for meeting with you, even professionally. It means they value the interaction and time spent with you. By dressing well, you now convey that respect and desirability to your audience.

💡 Remember P.A.G.E. and F.O.R.M. to Initiate New Conversations

P.A.G.E.

Use this as a GPS for starting and leading new conversations—to connect in a goal-oriented manner without coming across as transactional.

Typically for an introvert, it’s challenging to strike up conversations first, or at least easily. Maybe you avoid conversations completely and prefer to just smile and shyly walk away. Not anymore.

Let’s say you are at an industry event to connect with prospects. They are right there. You know your value proposition. But starting a new conversation isn’t your strong suit. Remember P.A.G.E.

 P - Place

 A - Activities

 G - Goal

 E - Exit (with strategy)

Using P.A.G.E., here’s an example hypothetical conversation and what it would look like:

• PLACE - “Is this your first time in Toronto?”
• ACTIVITIES - “Oh, so have you had a chance to visit CN Tower?” OR “What’s your go-to hangout place in Toronto?”
•  GOAL - “So what brings you to the event? Are you just here for a good time or looking for something specific to get out of this?”
•  EXIT - This is the time to make a ‘strategic’ exit. For example, setting up a follow-up conversation or maybe just ending on a positive, professional goodbye note. “Let us connect next week and discuss more (or not)? Bye.”

F.O.R.M.:

F.O.R.M. is more effective as a warm-up in one-to-one settings vs. events or public settings to get to know another person on a more personal level.

It requires a lot more empathy and emotionally intelligent conversation. And, if done right, it’s a great way to know the other person more authentically.

 F - Family

 O - Occupation

 R - Recreation

 M - Motivation

• FAMILY - Ask them about family or where they are from.
• OCCUPATION - Get to know what they do or even what is their real ambition or future goal. Something that drives them—what excites them.
• RECREATION - Understanding what they do for recreation or in their leisure time is a great way to connect. You may be able to find some common activities that interest you both and then build momentum for future meet-ups around that activity.
• MOTIVATION - This ties into all of the above, but a direct conversation about what motivates them will help you know how well they align with your motivation or goals—whether in business or life.

Dear Reader, we all want to grow. Find a better-paying job. Get promoted to the next rung of the ladder. Make friends. Find a new partner—to date or for life. I strongly believe people help other people in all aspects of life—but only if they feel connected. And it all starts with ONE GOOD CONVERSATION.

While these may be simple acronyms at first glance, they have certainly helped me grow my network through great first conversations.

If you have any new ideas on how to network effectively, please share a comment.