By Dina Lu (dina@dinacalligraphy.com)

Ever heard of the saying that your network is your most valuable asset? If you’ve ever taken a business course or attended any career coaching, you’ll know that they always tell you to network, network, network. But why? Networking will help you reach your professional goals faster. It’ll help you meet the right people who will help propel your business and career goals forward. And the earlier you start, the better. Networking can be intimidating for most people who are starting out and that’s completely normal! Although we might be used to talking to our friends and peers on a regular basis, it’s hard to imagine going to an event and talking to strangers!

So, are you making the most of your time when you’re networking? Here are five networking tips for new entrepreneurs:

1 Preparing yourself before networking events

While what you do during a networking event is important, what you do beforehand is equally so. There are a couple of things you can do before going to a networking event.

If you know who will be on the panel or if you have a guest list, research the attendees using Google and LinkedIn. Find out who will be there. It’s such a great conversation starter when you approach someone and mention that, for example, you actually saw their most recent announcement that their company x won x award.

It not only shows genuine interest, but it’s impressive because most people usually don’t research people beforehand. Even if you just take one minute to take a look at where people work or used to work, you’ll go quite far in making meaningful connections by asking relevant questions.

It’s also important to dress the part. You’ve probably heard this a million times, but when you network, you should also dress to impress. Although we all love the idea of not judging a book by its cover, first impressions do matter, especially at networking events when you only have a limited time with each person.

Find out what the dress code is before an event (most networking events are business casual). It’s better to overdress than to underdress!

2 Be selective with your food and drink choices

At a lot of networking events, there is a table with snacks and drinks or event hosts will pass around canapes. Yes, food is there for you to eat, but you should be selective about what you choose to eat.

If possible, eat before an event so you only have to hold a drink in your left hand—this frees up your right hand so you can shake people’s hands after introducing yourself.

If you must eat, pick foods that are small and easy to eat—for example, a small piece of salmon on cucumber is better than a mini hamburger. You don’t want your mouth to be too full when you’re talking to someone you’re trying to connect with. If possible, try to eat between conversations and not during them so you can put your full focus on the person you’re talking to.

3 Make some great connections with a few people rather than “working the room”

While it is generally good to know more people, it doesn’t do you any good at a networking event when you have a one-minute conversation with someone and then swap business cards. There’s no real connection there and chances are you won’t follow up with them and vice versa.

Instead of “working the room” trying to talk to everyone and hand out business cards, talk to a few people but have some amazing conversations with them. Even though you meet fewer people, the people you do meet through these quality conversations will benefit you the most.

If you don’t know who to talk to, it’s always a good idea to introduce yourself to the organizer and thank them for putting on such a great event. Event organizers usually have huge networks so it’s not a bad idea to meet them!

If you end up walking around and noticing that everyone else is engaged in a conversation already, head to the food table and see if there are any stragglers there. Commenting on how great the food is an easy conversation starter.

4 Make genuine conversation and provide value

This is easier said than done—but it’s so crucial to make genuine conversation with the people you meet and ask sincere questions. Ask people not only about their career, but about their hobbies, vacation plans, and life outside of work. When you expand the topics of your conversation, you’ll notice that it’s way easier to connect with people on a deeper level. You might find that someone else has a similar interest to you and build a rapport that way.

Have you ever heard of the saying, “People will be more interested in you if you are interested in them first”? Ask questions, listen intently, and respond positively with value—and people will feel like you genuinely are interested in what they have to say.

5  Send a follow-up email or message

Sometimes the most overlooked part of networking is the follow-up. Yes, while it is important to prepare yourself before a networking event and have great conversations with a few people during the event, don’t forget to follow up with the people you met after the event. What’s the point of meeting someone if you don’t stay connected afterwards?

When you go home after an event, you’ll have several business cards, or perhaps you connected with people over LinkedIn on your phone. In the 1-2 days after the event, send a quick note to everyone you met saying it was a pleasure meeting them and reminding them of what you talked about. To take it one step further, Google or research them on LinkedIn to see if there’s anything else interesting about them and mention that.

During the event, if you promised to send them anything after—such as sending them a link to a book you mentioned—do this in your follow-up message. Sometimes, you’ll meet someone you really connected with, continue the conversation by asking them for a call or for a coffee chat. Even for people with whom you had short conversations—perhaps you got cut off because a panel was starting--it’s a good idea to research them afterwards and send a quick follow up email. You never know where a new connection will take you!

Remember, networking is about relationship building and it takes a long time. Practice, and you’ll get better and better each time. If you’re strategic about networking, you’ll reap so many rewards in the long run, not just for your career, but for your own personal development and entrepreneurial goals. So, make networking your most valuable asset by preparing beforehand, be smart with your eating at events, make a few great connections, being genuine, bringing value and sending a follow-up. 

About Dina Lu, Founder at Dina Calligraphy

Dina is an LOI Connector, LOI Labs Batch 4 Founder, and an ambidextrous calligraphy workshop instructor based in Vancouver, BC. She has taught over 400 people brush lettering and pointed pen calligraphy through her public and corporate workshops in BC. In addition, she does on-site calligraphy at brand events, and loves creating special commissioned projects such custom framed quotes and calligraphy greeting cards. Check out her Instagram account @dinacalligraphy!