Live Networking Alive!: A face-to-face networking guide to ignite your business success!

By Debbie L Parker

You have a business built on your energy and passion which drive you forward. You have a unique view of the world and you want to make a difference through your business. And you want financial success to support your dream. Enter Live Networking Alive!, a down-to-earth guide book with a winning face-to-face networking strategy for

• Language: English
• Publisher: Debbie L. Parker, JD, CFP
• Release date: Oct 13, 2017
• ISBN: 9780999427415

Debbie L Parker

Debbie L. Parker, J.D., CFP(R) is a small business coaching expert known for her practical street-savvy style. Her skills bring out the best in people and put them on the fast track for success. As a face-to-face networking expert, she's a natural at what she does. In Live Networking Alive! she shares her winning formula for connecting and relationship-building for introverts and skilled networkers alike. She enjoys family time, being outdoors, and socializing with friends in what she considers her amazing home town of Washington DC. Find her at www.debbieparker.net.

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INTRODUCTION

You have a business built on your energy and passion which drives you forward. You have a unique view of the world and you want to make a difference through your business. And you want financial success to support your dream.

Face-to-face networking is the way to share your passion, showcase your energy, and build your credibility for a strong and successful business that makes the world a better place while increasing your bottom line profitability.

In-person networking is a terrific marketing strategy. It gets you face time with potentially high-payoff contacts who can help you build your business, including industry colleagues and associates, referral sources, and prospective clients. You get out there, you shake hands, you get to know people, and you form relationships that can pay long and lasting dividends.

The digital networking environment certainly has its benefits. It’s quick, convenient, and universally accessible, and it’s where trends are happening. Online networking is an effective strategy in relationship-building. But it's not the whole picture. Face-to-face networking gives a lot of distinct advantages for the social beings that we are. Body language, voice tone, facial expression, the connection of an actual handshake - these offer a positive energy experience which is unique and can keep your business a step ahead of the game.

I speak from experience. Live networking has been an amazing catalyst for my own business success. It's how I get many of my coaching clients. It's how I connect with colleagues. It's how I get great referral and business connections. It has worked really well for me, and it will work really well for you.

Admittedly, it can be a bit intimidating. For many people, small talk doesn't come easily. And it can take energy and focus to establish rapport with new people. But it's a terrific way to make connections, to spark rapport, to attract clients, and to ignite your business success. And in most cases it doesn't strain your marketing budget - which is an added bonus.

The goal of live networking is not to bring in immediate sales, although it sometimes happens. Instead, it's a longer term strategy to build profitable relationships. You may not get a new client after each event, but if you keep showing up and building relationships, that's when you see the results. You gain access to other successful people who also want to expand their business. You get referrals that can turn into new clients. You get to hear about opportunities and trends that may affect your business.

Two separate skills are involved in live networking. The first skill is working the room to circulate, meet, mingle, and engage with others at the event itself. The second skill is a systematic follow-up, to solidify your connections and turn them into relationships that last and pay dividends.

If you're a bit nervous about working a room full of strangers or if you need some help with follow-up, you're in the right place. My recipe for success has two components: first - preparation, and second - systemization. We'll go step-by-step to cover both, and apply each step to your specific business using the worksheets that I've included.

Chapter 1: Your Foundation. The focus is on you - the business owner, the professional, the entrepreneur. This is who you are and your core values, your business offerings, your target market, and your passion and authenticity as reflected in your business. What distinguishes you? What are your vision, your mission, your goals? Put them in writing, as the foundation for what comes next.

Chapter 2: Get Ready - Background Work. Here you define your face-to-face networking strategy. Decide your goals and set up your personal system to identify top-payoff networking opportunities, prepare your pitch and your marketing materials, and identify your follow-up method. If you're like many business people who dread networking, decide how to venture outside your comfort zone and push past the fear.

Chapter 3: Get Set - Your Event Preparation. Your focus is on the specific event at hand. Each event is different and likely will need a different approach. Individualized preparation will give you maximum payoff for the time you spend. This includes choosing the event and identifying your purpose for attending, researching the attendees and the agenda, setting your goals in terms of type and number of high-priority connections, rehearsing your self-introduction pitch and icebreaker questions, deciding how to dress and what to bring, and having your system to record contact information for follow-up. Plus getting your mind and emotions on a positive note so the best you comes across strong and attractive, and you stand out for the right reasons.

Chapter 4: Go - It's Showtime! This is when it happens. You arrive. You work the room. You start connecting to those new faces and exciting opportunities. And you end the evening on a high note, with quality connections to turn into relationships.

Working the room successfully has many moving parts. Take it slowly and step-by-step so when you arrive, you're prepared, you have your tools and your strategy, and you can let instinct kick in. Decide when to arrive, where to position yourself once you're there, how to approach your target attendees, and how to