Working a roomful of people at a networking event requires strategy and skill. Especially considering that everyone has the same goals of connecting with as many people as they can, in a short period of time. How can you meet as many of the right people as in the limited time that you have available?

Strategic Networking

The first step is to discover which people you want to start a business relationship with. Don’t try to do this with everyone. Otherwise, you will find that you will have little time for a meaningful conversation and end up making much less of an impact on the people whom you meet. Most people at networking events will make a brief introduction and tell you what they do. This will help you to focus on your “shortlist” of those whom you want to make an impact upon. After you introduce yourself, explain in a few sentences why you believe that it would be mutually beneficial to have a business relationship with them.

Be strategic, and because you have a limited amount of time get a “feel” for the room. Since most people tend to congregate in groups, move between groups, picking up the tenor of the conversation in each group, before approaching any one person. At the same time, try to talk with everyone you have identified as important. Look for important cues in conversation that will allow you to break the ice and find common ground with them. Don’t try to corner anyone as this will make the person feel trapped and uncomfortable.

Business Cards

Business cards are an essential tool for effective networking. They can be used as a way to make introductions and give you a practical method of following up with people. Be strategic with your business cards. If you don’t need someone’s card, then don’t keep it. You will end up wasting valuable time trying to remember who this person is.

To make your networking more effective, write any important information on a person’s card. Don’t try to remember everything; it is too difficult, especially at large gatherings. You will find that taking the time to do this will pay dividends by making your networking efforts that much more effective.

Time Management

Practicing your presentation even for these informal events will help you make your networking more effective. Time is limited and you want to maximise your return. The more often that you do your introduction speech the more natural you will appear and the more people you will meet.

Consider these events as an opportunity to make a sales presentation about yourself. Think of it as a brief sales presentation, but what you’re really selling is yourself. Focus on presenting who you are, what you and your company do, and why you believe it would be good for you and the other person to begin to build a business relationship.

Learn to make your case quickly and concisely. Not all of the contacts that you make will be fruitful. You will likely find that most are not. However, your success rate should be enough to make the event worthwhile.

Following Up

All of your hard work trying to make new contacts is just the beginning. Not following through will mean your time has been wasted. You’ll need to make follow-ups, by e-mail or phone, to begin developing a working relationship with the people you’ve met. Do it quickly, although it hardly needs to be the same day, while it’s fresh both in your mind and with the other person. It takes work, but the long-term results can be more than worth.