Who you know is just as important as what you know when trying maximize your success. There are countless stories of the person who did not deserve a certain position based on talent but got it anyway because of who they know. We often hear leaders say “attend networking events and meet more people. Grow your business” however we have all gone to an event where we wanted to meet people and network but the room is separated into small groups making it difficult to approach anyone. In this format the popular folks and groups with the bigger names get a lot of the attention. It becomes more of a mingle and no real networking is done.
A format of networking that is taking the world by storm is Speed networking. In this organized event you will get the opportunity to talk to every single person in the room. Therefore Giving you many chances to build connections, earn new business and put your name out there for future business consideration.
These are my top three favorite things about Speed Networking and why if you are looking to build new connections this is the way to do it.
1. Meet Everyone in the Room – This is huge! I can not tell you how many events I’ve been to where I want to meet the great presenter from earlier but never get an opportunity because of the long lines and crowd. With the Speed networking format you get 4 minutes or so to talk to each person and at the end of the session you have mingle time to further talk with anyone you may have connected with. This is my favorite of all the benefits.
2. Organization and structure – Parties are fun and create conversation for a day or two about how much of a great time you had, however they create very few meaningful connections. In a networking event that operates under the “party” format, one person goes in front of the room thanks the crowd for coming out and tells speaks about what they do for a living and how to contact them. Now that person effectively marketed themselves to everyone in the room but how about you?
3. Fun – As professionals we often neglect fun. We are laser focused on our career, our brands and our businesses. At a Speed networking event you will have a great time while interacting with people with similar goals as yours. Win, win.
So if you are someone who is looking to expand on your network and get to know like-minded people. Please make sure to find out where your closest speed networking event is being held and attend. Most of them are free.
Enjoy and if you go to one please comment below and tell me all about it!
