5 Tips for Making the Most of Your 1:1 Networking Meetings

1.     Be prepared for your meeting

• ·       Research about the person and their company
• ·       Look Up their LinkedIn profile

2.     Make sure your intentions are good

• This provides you with an incentive to attend and not cancel. The purpose is to get-to-know-the-person and their company, not sell them something.

• ·       Purpose of 1^st meeting is to not sell them anything
• ·       Informational Session 
• ·       Ask open ended questions

3.     Focus. 

• ·       Put away your phone and other electronic distractions

4.     Don’t be a chatterbox. You’re there to learn about them. Don’t share confidential information or names when it’s your turn to talk. While people love to listen to stories, make sure they are real and keep them short. Remember, people have short attention spans.

• ·       Share information about yourself & company but do not unload too much information during the first meeting
• ·       This meeting should be 30 minutes or less

5.     Follow-Up and Follow-Through. 

• ·       After your meeting – send a personal note thanking them for the meeting
• ·       Also send an email and list any action items from the meeting (within 24 to 48 hours) 
• ·       If they were specific items that need to be discussed please call back within 3 to 5 days.

• Bonus Tips for Making the Most of Your 1:1 Networking Meetings

• ·       Networking skills are vital in building your personal network and your company’s network
• ·       Once establishing a relationship, then you can start selling your services to your network

• Steps to having your 1^st networking meeting

• ·       Schedule your time & place where to meet
• ·       Keep the first meeting to 30 minutes are less
• ·       10 minutes – Introduction
• o   Ask questions about each other
• §  Where you from?  
• §  Find out about their Company? How long you been with your company?
• §  Purpose to learn more about them
• ·       10 minutes – Discuss Your Needs
• o   This is where you ask where do they need help?
• o   Getting into a particular account?  Service or product they need to move?
• ·       10 minutes – Wrap-Up
• o   Confirm the action items from the meeting?
• o   Discuss any next steps that would be beneficial.