Networking is a blanket word, and different people have different approaches to it. The Social Media Week, Nigerian Entertainment Conference, GidiFest e.t.c are good networking avenues. Many a times, we leave conferences with a full memory of faces and a couple of business cards of people we don’t remember or even follow up on. You confidently approach the top -shot speakers, but the chances are they won’t accept your card and act completely disinterested in what you’re saying. You meet countless participants, exchange cards and some casually random banter you hardly remember. You followed up with every single person on the cards but you receive little or no response. The conference passes over as if it never happened. Life moves on. What did you spend all that time for anyway?
Sounds familiar yeah? Picture this instead:
By the end of any conference, rather than leaving exhausted with a stack of business cards of people you barely remember, you should ideally walk out of the building with 15 new friends laughing. You know their hometowns, their opinions on the latest wizkid single, and you know this is just the beginning of a long, beautiful, and mutually beneficial relationship. (And you should still have the business cards of the people remember in your bag.)
Perhaps this is a bit dreamy, but you get the point. A lot of people approach conferences from a sales perspective. Networking isn’t about forced-selling yourself to strangers. It isn’t about finding people who can help you out. . Below are 6 tips for better networking
1. Brand; Dress THE WAY You Want To Be Addressed
When you dress well, you will feel confident; like you own the room, which often translates into you actually owning the room. First impressions are everything. You may meet a professional in the industry that really matters and first impressions can make or break a situation. Appearance is one thing, but also dressing up your business cards and marketing/promotional materials is absolutely essential. You can invest in branding USB drives with your artist or group logo/name. There are several branding companies that can help with this. Make sure that within the content you include a PDF with a bio, a gracious & concise note, your single, links, and information on how to get in touch with you.
2. Don’t Be Shy.
Truth is someday, we’re all going to die, and what you did at this conference will not matter. What will matter is if you befriended the person who eventually introduced you to the person who got you a record deal that jumpstarted your prolific music career, which in turn inspired the world to give you a funeral of the likes of Michael Jackson. So don’t be afraid to approach people you don’t know. Even more important, don’t get star-strucked by the people you see as more “important” than you. We’re all humans.
3. Be Their Friend, Not A Salesperson.
You should get to know people on a personal level before ever trying to sell something. Smile, relax. Be genuinely interested in the individual and what they’re saying. Ensure your brain is slated to take in a lot of information – name, where they are re based, what company they are with, their profession, favorite artiste, and more. And for God’s sake, remember everything. If after a conversation you feel the need to write down on the card a quick brief on the individual, take a bathroom break and do it. You’ll thank yourself later.
4. Focus On The Person.
When introducing yourself, do not begin with a sales pitch or a lengthy, wordy speech about yourself, your work, your life, you. Ask the other person questions. Focus on the person with whom you’re speaking and truly listen. Make him/her feel important. Then let the individual ask you what you do. Remember “When wandering the world, forget your business cards. Don’t look for more contacts. In the words of the wise Dale Carnegie, “Remember that a person’s name is, to that person, the sweetest and most important sound in any language.” Repeat it once in your conversation, and always say goodbye by calling the individual by his/her name. Most importantly, don’t let yourself forget the name immediately, so that you have to ask the person, “What’s your name again? So many faces today!” This does not make him feel important. You will impress her if you are the one who remembers.
5. Know Your Boundaries; Be Bold, but Courteous.
Conferences usually have mingling areas for networking, and meetings often happen in the same area. Be bold, but do not approach a clearly enclosed group of people. Observe setting, seating, and body language. If these indicate a set-up meeting between two or more people, do not approach. They will consider it rude. There is a distinct line between confidently approaching a group casually mingling in conversation and rudely interrupting a clearly private meeting.
6. The ART of Follow Up
It’s vital to make good use of the time and money you have spent attending this conference. Connect with them on LinkedIn. If you consider yourself friends with any of the individuals you meet, especially around your age, don’t be afraid to friend them on Facebook and Instagram. In your follow-up email, do not contact someone unless you truly feel you could both be of mutual benefit to one another in some way, now or in the future. If you don’t ask something very specific in your email, the person will not know what to do with the email, especially if it was sent to their work email, and will delete it. Send them an email with purpose – perhaps with something to consume, such as a Dropbox link to 3 of your top tracks. And of course, don’t make your email a novel. Be concise and relevant. If you hit it off with the person, perhaps pick up the phone and call. This makes more of a statement.
In conclusion, networking is very vital to the success and forward movement of any brand so it should never be underlooked. It is advisable to make it a habit. Networking is about building meaningful relationships with people. The relationships you build have a greater chance of translating into a label/publishing deal, a new business partner, etc. than the 100 business cards you collected