Networking can be a frightening process but a necessary one since it gives you a chance to meet new people who are the biggest asset you can have in life. Through successful networking one gains a multitude of benefits such as strengthened business connections, introduction to fresh ideas, access to jobs opportunities, more confidence and appeal to different perspective on topics. Yet, despite the benefits, networking can still be difficult, particularly at the beginning.
Hence, below are four main tips that I learned during the MBA experience to make networking easier on the nerves and more successful in the long run.
1. Do your research beforehand
You may have heard this one before, but it is a vital piece of advice for any networking event – you have to make sure to do your research before attending the event. Check out the name of the people who will be attending, look into their LinkedIn profile and learn about their education, job roles, companies, previous work history, career trajectory, etc. This way you are prepared to strike up a more personalized conversation through questions you have prepared beforehand based on your research.
Moreover, by researching who will be attending the event, you have targeted people that you know you want to speak to. Often times at networking events you won’t have a lot of time to get around and meet everyone until you find the person that really interests you. By going into the event prepared, half of your job is already done.
2. Remember the name
Name – it is the first thing people will tell you at networking events and it is very important you remember it, especially if it is a foreign name that people usually don’t remember. It can be difficult to remember someone’s name, especially when meeting numerous people in a short period of time. However, you don’t need to remember it forever, just until the end of the conversation. Moreover, if you do your research beforehand as mentioned in the previous tip, then you will already know the name of the person you are meeting.
In any case, here is a vital tip to make the name remembrance easier – the second someone says their name, make sure to repeat it three times in your head before continuing the conversation. An even better and more effective strategy is to correlate it with someone/something. For example, if someone says their name is Amber remember that you had someone in your elementary school who had the same name. This will make it much easier to remember the name since you already have something closely related to it in your memory.
However, if it is a more foreign name for your ear, try to associate it with something similar. For example, if someone says their name is Drin, remember that it is the same as ‘drink’ without the K at the end.
3. Write the details down
When meeting numerous people at an event it is difficult to keep track of every single conversation you are having. By the end of the event you will probably only remember one or two conversations you had. Hence, in order to make every single encounter memorable take a few moments after each conversation to write a few key points down.
This doesn’t have to be in a pen-and-paper format, as you can always pull out your phone and keep notes regarding that specific person. If someone you just had a conversation with mentioned they like listening to podcasts, then when you follow up with them (final tip), you can mention that specific point of your conversation and send them a couple of podcast suggestions. This way you become much more memorable.
4. Follow-up
All of the above tips aren’t worth much unless you follow up with the people you met while networking. You can follow up by making sure you get their business card at the end of your conversation, or by remembering their name and adding them on LinkedIn.
In order to make the follow-up as non-generic as possible, make sure to write down the details of your conversation as indicated in the previous tip. This way your email or message will contain personalized information that will make you more memorable.
In addition, don’t be afraid to invite your new networks to meet up some other time. This way, in the long run, you can build a network not just of loose acquaintances you met one time at some networking events but instead a network of close friends and trusted colleagues.
Tringa Krasniqi holds an MBA degree from The George Washington University. She is the founder and consultant at Ivy Journey, an educational consulting firm for gaining admission to universities and winning scholarships.
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