Getting the Most Out of Your Networking Group  
 © Michael Losier

Here is my personal list of things to do at your networking group.

(1) Bring your business cards. Sound simple? Well, I regularly meet people at networking groups who have forgotten their cards or their cards are at the printers. Keep an ample supply in your car, briefcase and pockets, you never know who you're going to meet someone.

(2) Wear a nametag. It is not realistic to be able to remember what everyone does at the meeting. If your nametag says what you do, it makes meeting you easier. It can stimulate conversation about your business.

(3) Door Prizes. At many networking groups there is an opportunity to give away a door prize. This type of promotion is two fold. One, your product or service gets mentioned in a special way with lots of attentive people listening and, two, the winner will have an experience of your product or service and may tell others within the networking group.

(4) Set a goal. After the guest speaker, there is time to network with others. You may want to make it a goal to network with a specific number of people at each meeting. While each person is introducing himself or herself, take note of who you want to talk to so you can tell them about your business and to learn about theirs. Remember make it a two-way conversation.

(5) Respect others. If there is someone you want to talk to and they are engaged in a conversation, respect their time with the other person and do not interrupt them. Standing off to the side, they will see that you want to talk to them. Interrupting them may break rapport between you and them and between them and the person to whom they are talking.

(6) Have fun and be enthusiastic about your business.

Michael Losier is an N.L.P. Practitioner and a Business Success Coach living in Victoria, BC Canada. He facilitates a number of live communication and business related seminars, workshops, and international TeleClasses. His TeleClasses can be found at TeleClass International http://www.teleclassinternational.com

Michael assists and supports Business owners and Entrepreneurs so they can more easily attract customers to their business