Why do you need to attend networking events?

What are the top 5 reasons you need to attend networking events?

1. to be visible
2. to increase your visibility
3. to build your relationships
4. to connect with key influencers in your target market
5. to stay up to date on current trends and market updates

Networking events should form a key part of your visibility strategy (and consequently part of your networking strategy).

The Visibility Planner will help you make sure that you get in front of the right people at the right events on a regular basis.  Attending regular and more importantly targeted networking events can help you with this as it helps you to be visible and stay visible to your target market or audience. To do this you will need to:

1. Analyse your client base and potential clients to work out who you want to meet (and network with) as part of your visibility strategy. Basically you are answering the simple question of who do you want to be visible to.
2. Identify the places and events you can meet these people. The next step is to put yourself in a situation where you are likely to get some time to network with these people (it can be online or offline).
3. Sign up for the relevant event and do your pre-event research and preparation. Once you have signed up make sure you do the leg work to maximise any opportunity afforded to you.
4. Network your socks off and start (or build) the relationship. Don’t forget to take baby steps at first. This is about making an appropriate connection either by making that first connection or building on your relationship.
5. Follow up. In the usual way make sure that you follow up post-event.
6. Attend the Event Regularly. Assuming the event worked for you, try and attend the event on a more regular basis to build and development the connections you have made.

The Visibility Planner will help you development your Networking Strategy and will help you with each of these steps including you pre-event preparation, tracking your follow ups and your post-event analysis among other things. Grab your copy now.