I'm here at BlogWorld in Las Vegas, and it's a pretty amazing event, great people with a lot of insightful things to say. However, I'm always torn at the really large events like this one. It's a difficult balancing act dividing your time between quality and quantity when it comes to networking. There is no right or wrong way for all situations, but I thought I'd give you my .02 cents on the matter.
Connection:
Find your existing close connections early and establish a core group for the duration.
Expansion:
Use that core group as a launching platform for being introduced to the expanded circle of connections that each person in your core group can facilitate for you. They know you, they know what business you're in, and a introduction to someone via a person that they already trust establishes an immediate bond of mutual respect. Secondarily, find those people that you've had some modicum of a relationship with online and make that in-person connection. It's quite likely that some of those people will 'click' with you at a deeper level and be in your 'core group' at the next event.
Contraction:
It's this particular step that I think most people miss out on. There is this overwhelming desire to shake as many hands and kiss as many babies as possible. However, those transient connections will never be as powerful to you professionally or personally as establishing a truly meaningful relationship will be. To that end, find time to perhaps skip one of those mass parties and instead have a more intimate affair with a few of your core group and newly expanded group.
Assistance:
Don't focus on how people can help *you*, focus on how you can help *them*. Listen. If you hear of something that you could help them with, do it. This isn't a 'trade', and most definitely not a "I'll scratch your back if you'll scratch mine". Sure, that tends to be the likely outcome, but it can't be your mindset otherwise you're not really trying to help *them* are you?
This sounds very 'calculating'. It's not. It's a natural, organic way of networking, but you do have to plan to allow it to happen. You can't decide in advance that you're going to hit every party with a stack of business cards (just the thought of that makes me shudder) because there won't be any time in there to build relationships with any depth.
Amber Naslund for example, is in (and will always be in) my core group, but even though we speak with each other constantly, thus you'd think wouldn't have a lot to add for each other networking-wise, a different context is brought to the fore when others are present. Invariably, the dialog that takes place leads to learning about business connections and relationships that you did not know about prior. I find at least half the time it's not the people in these relationships that you end up doing business with directly it's people that they help you connect the dots to once they understand you, and what you do, at a deeper level. Everyone is so busy trying to attack those people that they think can directly benefit them that they miss out on these very real opportunities.
In this instance, simply overhearing a conversation between her and others (including
Lauren Vargas who is in the same company) allowed me to realize several clients that I could definitely turn
Radian6 on to in the future that I had never thought about. Same goes for
Edison Research via
Tom Webster, or
Blue Sky Factory via
DJ Waldow, etc. What I know without question is that it could be a year from now, but if any of these people who I now have a *depth* of relationship with crosses paths with someone who could help me or my clients they will absolutely remember me. And vice versa. Yet a 5 minute conversation in the hallway and the swapping of business cards would not have garnered me even a mention in their memory synapses.
The swapping of information does not a relationship make. You don't gauge the success of a conference trip based on how many business cards you bring home. We supposedly understand this about social media, yet I see so many who don't understand it in real life. We preach about how the number of hits on a web page don't matter, it's the conversion into transactions that matters, but for some reason that logic doesn't apply at a conference?
Look, I get it, you still have to get out there and mingle and let serendipity have its opportunity as well. But find your balance and make sure that creating a few deep, lasting relationships is a part of both your personal and professional strategy.
Cheers,
Matt Ridings - @techguerilla