You may be skilled at meeting people, creating positive impressions, even getting business cards, however if you aren’t meeting the right people, following up or managing your contacts strategically, your efforts can be wasted. Taking a more strategic approach can save you time and help you achieve your goals.
 
To be a strategic networker, you need to:

Focus on your priorities

Based on your business, career or personal goals, identify:

1. The people you need to meet (you may not know them by name, but type of person will do.
2. The people you already know who are relevant to achieving your goals.
3. The priorities from the above two lists (for example, who are the 'must have' contacts, and who are the 'good to have' contacts, and 'nice to have' contacts).

Identify specific strategies to meet and maintain contact with your priority contacts

Good networkers keep in touch by being relevantly helpful to others. How you do this will vary from person to person, and should be tailored to the individual. Some tips on meeting and maintaining contact are:

Today we are looking at Business Right Day - a business growth seminar. We have all seen and most likely attended these types of events before, but what makes Red Day Coaching's event different from the rest? Let's find out...

First of all let's set the scene, the full day event is held by Brisbane-based business coaching organization Red Day Coaching. It is not a get in free and we sell sell sell oriented event - it is however "$49 to attend and we will give you good quality information and practical ideas on how to improve your business without having to pay extra." I am glad to say that this is the case

Meet the presenter:

The organiser and presenter is Jo Hassan who does the speaking circuit in and around Brisbane. Being a small business owner and having seen her speak before I was very interested and excited to see what she had to say. Jo's style is very relaxed and comfortable, however she comes accross extremely confident and knowledgable in her craft.

The presentation itself was very practical - if anything too practical. We walked through a complete business makeover in teams and were pitted against each other to make our business perform at it's peak with the limitations that all small businesses have. I am happy to say that our team won, however it was interesting to see the different ideas that each group came up with, and it certainly wasnt hard to rehash these ideas to suit my business.

So you’ve done the hard yards. You’ve met, greeted, explained, conversed, and finally exchanged business cards. Your business card is one of the most powerful networking tools available to you.

So what can you do to make sure you get it right?

1. DO Keep it simple and to the point. Your business card need only contain the details essential to remembering who you are, what you do, and how to contact you for more information.
2. DON’T include text that requires a microscope to read. The principle out of sight, out of mind is crucial here. If you want to be remembered, make sure the information on your card is visible and easy to read from a standard distance.
3. DO Keep your target market in mind. Who are you targeting, and what is the average age/mindset of the recipients of your card? Create your cards with your audience in mind so that they can relate to what they are seeing.
4. DO Keep it unique, but don’t overdo the creative side of things. Don’t detract from your purpose with excess creativity. A simple, smart design that is easy-on-the-eye will present you most effectively. See what your business card says about you here.
5. DO Put your photo on the card. People will find it easier to remember who you are in the weeks to follow your exchange if a picture is available to jog their memory
6. DO Include a section for ‘Important Information’ or ‘TO-DO’ on the back of the card. This will be a handy space for your audience to jot down any additional information related to you.

This one may seem obvious to some, but to most - networking is about turning up to breakfasts meeting some lovely people (and some annoying) and possibly making a sale or two. This is totally fine and works to an extend, however, is there a better way?

Well, I like to think so. Hence - Don't fluke your way through networking. What we are suggesting here is that you figure out why you are networking, some goals that relate to this, and create a process around it so that they are achieved.

Everyday there are an unlimited number of networking breakfasts, lunches, dinners, seminars, workshops you can go to. Your budget probably determines how many of these you can afford to attend. More often than not, your positive mindset determines the outcomes in attending these functions.

Many people arrive at these events stressed, angry, basically not wanting to be there. They do themselves a disservice being there, because all they will attract is negative people like themselves. They are guaranteed to have a miserable time. So how can you maximise these opportunities...?