Networking events have always been an essential part of business networking. Advances in social media and the popularity of text conversations have led to an underdevelopment in the most important weapon in a business owners ability to develop relationships with customers – conversation.

Here are a few tips to help you “work the room” at your next business mixer.

 

1.) Prepare yourself for the event – Networking events mean the exchange of business cards (contact information).  Prepare yourself for that engagement when you meet people.

2.) Start at the bar – When you walk into a crowded business mixer you need a place to start. The bar or the food buffet are very easy landmarks in the room to work with, and typically surrounded by lingering people who are normally hungry, thirsty, and talkative.  They are normally regulars to the event, and can usually point out everyone in the room that you want to meet over a drink, or a few cocktail snacks.

3.) Find the flow of the room – As in any body of water identify the flow of the current.  It will be the easiest way to circulate through the room with the least amount of effort. When you find someone with whom you want to engage in a conversation simply step out of the current.  When you are ready to get back into the current simply step back in.  If keeps the room flowing well, and you flowing well in the room.

4.) Know when to engage and disengage – Know when to engage in conversation with a contact, and when to disengage when the conversation has run its course.

5.) Keep mixing and mingling – It is extremely important that you are social, but do not become involved in every conversation. Don’t influence conversations in a particular direction. You are there to grip and grin, be liked, get information, and then move on.  It is way too easy to get sucked into a debate about why one particular product of service is better than the other. Stay neutral.

6.) Send a thank you to everyone that you have met – The entire mixer has been part of a plan, and sending a thank you message with a personalized note tells everyone that you met that they have made an impression on you.

The Livermore Valley Chamber of Commerce hosts a Mixer every 3rd Wednesday of every month. Check our calendar of events for details! Cheers to working the room!