Minnesota Mortgage Blog

• Walk into the room with an agenda in mind. That agenda could be to meet certain people at the meeting, develop leads, meet new people, meet with a specific prospect, or it could be a combination of different objectives. Whatever your gameplan is, stick to it.
• Your work begins well before the meeting. Start researching who will be attending the networking event and what they mean to you as a prospect. Identify key targets and start thinking about not the ways you can start conversation with them, and how you can direct that conversation to how you can help them.
• Set some goals for yourself. In the same way you might sit down and try to handle X number of sales calls in an hour, set some performance metrics for this networking meeting. How many new prospects do you want to develop? How many pre-identified targets do you want to meet with? How many business cards do you want to collect? How many do you want to distribute.
• Practice an introduction for yourself, as well as some conversation starters. The last thing you want to do is waste valuable networking time thinking of how you are going to approach someone. Instead, leverage some rehearsed ice breakers that can help you introduce yourself and get a conversation rolling.
• Keep your ears open. As you mingle you might hear snippets of conversation that apply to you. Don't be afraid to say, "You know, I don't want to come off rude, but I couldn't help overhearing that you mentioned …" No one will fault you for offering your insights, expertise or witty banter on the subject. In fact, they'll most likely appreciate it.
• Remember the key is to connect, not sell. Don't go to the networking event expecting to close deals. You are there to make connections and lay the ground work for future business development. Trying to work a deal while networking can be considered poor form at many events, and can quickly get you uninvited. Instead, leave your connections open-ended so that you have opportunity for follow-up.
• Keep follow-up reminders. As you offer your follow-ups, maintain a system for noting all the follow-ups you will need to make so that you can quickly send them the next day, and keep your new relationships rolling.

Of course, despite all these tips, it's easy for even the best networkers to get lost in the moment and feel a little nervous or out of place. If you find yourself feeling awkward at a networking function, don't drift toward the door. Instead, walk up to the first available person you see, smile, look them straight in the eye, offer a handshake and introduce yourself. A simple, congenial introduction works wonders! 

Happy Networking!

Jamie Larkin - Mortgage Advisor