Now, I know I am not that popular...my business is barely a year old. I started to look at the invitation lists - because on Facebook you can see who else is invited, attending or not...and noticed that there was not really a selection process, more or less, just everyone from someone's list.
I also noticed that many of the same people were invited to all the events, and a few were attending all of them.
That got me to wondering:
- why would I go to all the events to see all the same people?
- when do these people actually spend time working ON their business or with clients if they are out at an event everyday?
- what focus is there on building relationships not just networking?
I think that as an entrepreneur there is great value to being out in the marketplace to be visible and get introduced to people. I also believe that the value comes from taking time to get to know others, listen to their story, find out what makes them so passionate about their business so that you can understand them and your connection to them. They may turn into a client - they may not...they may also be able to refer you to others, but it does not stop there...it becomes continued connection through emails, or social media...staying in touch and following up for a personal meeting, even the odd phone call to see how life has been treating them - professionally of course!
What I have learned from all of this is the following:
- be selective in the events you attend and do your research ahead of time - who is the host, what is the goal, who is attending
- set a goal for yourself describing why you are attending - to meet how many people or which types of business owners
- say 'No' to the ones that do not fit with you, your business or your schedule - there is no point in wasting time, and energy
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