Enough about me, what do you think of Me?

Isn't it amazing how some people approach networking?!?

I am constantly surprised by people who attend networking with the ' old school' technique of simply wanting to hand out as many business cards as they possibly can, thinking that is the sign of a successful event.

I'm not sure if it's ignorance or arrogance at play, either way it doesn't work anymore - if in fact it ever did.

Whilst attending a recent networking event I had a fellow attendee approach me and after a brief exchange of what's your name and what do you do questions and answers, he promptly shoved his business card at me and tried to do a sales pitch.

In what world does that approach work?

I actually laughed a little and firmly said no thanks. There was no way I was even going to take his card, let alone consider doing business with him.

If the intention of attending networking events is to create connections with potential prospects or referral partners then surely this technique is not the way to go.

A couple of ideas for your next networking outing:

- Go along with a specific purpose in mind, such as looking for recommendations for a particular supplier such as a printer, or Bookkeeper. This will give you a great and genuine talking point for the connections you make and also allow others to help connect you if they can

- Have your focus be to collect as many cards as you can, rather than just handing out your cards. This allows you to have the opportunity to follow up with them, rather than sitting back and waiting for the phone to ring

- Aim to make a genuine connection with people by asking questions and really listening to the answer. Ask them about their business, why they got into it, if they specialise in any particular area, what makes would a perfect client or referral be like for them. By doing this they are more likely to remember you in a positive light because you've taken the time to be interested in them

I am sure you will have more great ideas about how to maximise networking events, I'd love to hear them, so let me know what you think!