![\"networking](\"https:\/\/www.navitor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/041619_Networking_300x300-1.jpg\")
Whether you are looking for a way to connect with new customers or you\u2019re hoping to have a good conversation with other professionals, a networking event could be a great way to create those new connections. However, these events are what you make them, and creating a quality connection is as much about your skills at networking as it is about the event. Here are four networking tips you must know.<\/p>\n
1. Listen When You Join A Conversation\u2014And Show That You\u2019ve Been Listening And, when you do join in yourself, acknowledge a point that has been made rather than refocusing the conversation on yourself. Not only will this ensure that you enter the conversation smoothly, but it will ensure that you maintain a friendly tone.<\/p>\n 2. Don\u2019t Focus on What You Want\u2014Focus on What You Can Offer<\/strong> And speaking of that focus\u2026<\/p>\n 3. Polish Up Your Elevator Pitch 4. Find a Reason to Follow Up How do you make the most out of your networking efforts? We\u2019d love to see your suggestions in the comments below.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Whether you are looking for a way to connect with new customers or you\u2019re hoping to have a good conversation with other professionals, a networking event could be a great way to create those new connections. However, these events are what you make them, and creating a quality connection is as much about your skills […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,12,13,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12488","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-print-education","category-marketing","category-misc","category-news","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.navitor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12488","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.navitor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.navitor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.navitor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/27"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.navitor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12488"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.navitor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12488\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14009,"href":"https:\/\/www.navitor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12488\/revisions\/14009"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.navitor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12488"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.navitor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12488"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.navitor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12488"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n<\/strong>When you\u2019re approaching a group of people already engaged in conversation, take some time to listen. Not only will this allow you to have a good understanding of what the group is talking about, but it will also give you a chance to figure out if the conversation is relevant to your interests.<\/p>\n
\nYou\u2019re going to the networking event for a reason\u2014usually to make new business connections and possibly make a sale\u2014but don\u2019t let that reason keep you from having a good conversation! Focus on what your customer is saying and how you can speak to the challenges they are facing in their business.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>We\u2019ve talked about elevator pitches before, and a networking event is tailor-made for these one-to-two-sentence summaries of your business. And you can tailor your pitch according to the event. If you\u2019re going to a networking event for social reasons, keep your pitch focused on who you are as a print professional. If you are going to the event to connect with prospective customers, keep the pitch focused on what your business can do for them.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>If you\u2019ve established a rapport with someone, keep that relationship going! Once you\u2019ve got their contact information, be sure to reconnect within a week of meeting them. Whether it\u2019s sending an article relevant to the topic you discussed or giving them a call to discuss their product needs, finding a practical reason to follow up can help keep the conversation going.<\/p>\n