Evaluating Networking Events

So last week I talked about how you should never stop marketing.  And you shouldn’t. And if you didn’t read it, go back and do so.  Okay – back?  Good!  For my business, advertising, etc. makes no sense. People can’t understand what I can do for them until they meet me.  So I have to network to get the word out about me.  That is fun, keeps things interesting and gets me out of my chair on a regular basis which is also a good thing!  But how do I know what to attend and what to skip?

First, I look at a networking event to see what are they trying to accomplish.  If the point is to get members for a particular organization, I try to see if I would want to join. It isn’t fair to attend if I’m not going to take it seriously.  If the point is to give people a place to network, I look at how they advertise the event.  What type of people will it bring in – are they my target audience?  If not, it is a no-go.

Once I go, I will try any networking event twice.  I say twice because once isn’t fair.  The one time you visit things may have been off, the organizer might have been ill, or something else may have caused it to not be its best event.  So even if I go and don’t love it, I will generally give it one more go before I throw in the towel.   An event is one worth attending again if I  a) meet someone interesting / who is a prospect / could be a business source, b) meet someone who could help a client of mine, c) was really fun and while I didn’t meet anyone this time, I have reason to believe I will.

The biggest reason I don’t like an event is the feel of it.  For instance, I went to an event where everyone walked in and sat down with the people they sit with every month.  The three people at my table were all brand new to the group as well and were all direct marketers who were more hobbyists. I went back the second time and had the exact same experience.  This group had too much turn over and not enough serious small business owners.  I went to another group and the first meeting was similar.  But, I went back the second time only to find out the facilitator had been ill and the backup didn’t make the group adhere to the rules.  Turns out no one was allowed to sit until 15 minutes into the meeting time, everyone got to meet new people and I now go every month.  A third group I attended I went because I would be speaking in three weeks.  If I’m invited to speak to a group I don’t know, I try to attend a couple meetings before to get a feel for them and then a couple of meetings after as a courtesy.  In this case I walked in to a great feel, a great networking environment and the majority of the room were potential clients. Perfect!

I will confess – I do evaluate on time of day as well.  There is a group I wouldn’t mind trying but they are at 7:30 on Wednesday mornings and that is a tough day/time for me to get out early.  Eventually I will get there, but until I’m desperate for a new  venue, that one will stay on the back burner.  There are a couple groups that meet at 7:30 at night as well and those aren’t my first choice. But, I will attend one if I believe the crowd will be a good fit.

Notice I never mentioned the speaker at the event?  I almost never attend an event based on the speaker.  I can learn something from everyone – even if it is what not to do – so I will happily listen to any speaker as long as I get networking with it.

So what’s the take away?  Be where your potential clients are!!! Wasn’t that easy? 🙂