Networking is a necessary skill in today’s business world.
Many people feel like they are bad at networking because they never had the opportunity to learn how to network well. Thankfully, you don’t need a class to teach you how to be a better networker.
8 Ways to Be a Better Networker
While networking does rely a lot on your natural ability to socialize, here are a few tips to help things go smoothly.
1. Quality Over Quantity
When you’re networking, your goal should be to make a few solid connections. It shouldn’t be a race to meet everyone in the room.
You may feel like you’re missing out if you only meet a few new people, but the reverse is true. One good, solid connection is more likely to last than a long series of people you barely talked to and whose names you can’t remember.
Meeting a few people is also a more reasonable and manageable goal for an event.
2. Know Your Pitch
Every professional should have their elevator pitch ready and rehearsed. Make sure you’ve taken the time to write, refine, and practice yours to get your point across quickly and clearly.
Knowing your pitch well helps make introducing yourself smoother and less awkward. You don’t have to think about what to say and you’ll spend less time fumbling your words.
Be ready to improvise a little, though. You can highlight certain points if you think the person you’re talking to would be more interested in that topic.
3. Be Helpful
Professional relationships don’t have to be – and probably shouldn’t be – transactional. However, like with any relationship, you should be willing to help the other person when you can.
If they mention a problem you can help with, say something and be willing to follow through. If they’re looking for advice on a situation you’ve experienced, be ready to share your point of view.
4. Make Connections
Sometimes the person you’re talking to has a problem you can’t help with, but you know someone who can help them.
The best networkers make mutually beneficial connections between people in their network, which can strengthen their network. It’s a win-win situation.
5. Know When to End the Conversation
Sometimes a conversation doesn’t go well, or the person you’re talking to has somewhere they’d rather be. In those situations, the best thing you can do is to make a quick and gracious exit.
No one likes people who can’t take a hint or who drags out a conversation unnecessarily and trying to force a connection will leave them with a bad impression of you. Thank the person you’re talking to for their time and say goodbye.
6. Save Your Cards
It can be tempting to hand out your business cards to everyone you meet as soon as you meet them, but saving your cards for the end of a conversation may be the better route.
You can be a better networker by only giving your business cards to someone you’ve just made a good connection with. You’ll make a lasting impression on that person and you won’t go through your business cards so fast.
7. Follow Up
If you said you were going to follow up with someone after connecting with them, make sure you follow through. The best networkers follow up with a phone call or email within 24 hours of meeting someone, ensuring that their meeting is still fresh in that person’s mind.
When you reach out, reintroduce yourself, remind them where you met, and comment on something the two of you talked about. If there was something you said you would do or you were supposed to ask them, include that too.
8. Keep In Touch
Your network isn’t made up of people you met once and never talked to again, it’s the people you keep in touch with.
If you’re connected on LinkedIn or social media, interact with their posts sometimes. If they seem responsive, you can message them directly to stay in touch with them. These are good ways to find out if you will both be at in-person events where you can connect again or just to talk about your careers or industry.
Conclusion
Ultimately, being a better networker comes down to your ability to build relationships, not your ability to meet new people.
If you can come out of an event with two or three good connections, you’re already a better networker than someone who met a dozen people and didn’t make an impression on any of them.