How To Get The Results From Online Networking

I’m super excited to be back. And today I’m going to be talking about a very important topic, which is online networking. Are you getting the results that you’re looking for from these online networking events? 

Be Prepared

A lot of people are telling me they’re not. And I think one of the main reasons is they’re not prepared in advance before they go. They are scheduling so many events and doing so many things that they’re not following up with people. If you don’t follow up with people from these events, it’s going to be a waste of time, right? So here are a couple of things that you can do right away to improve the results you’re getting from the networking events and be more organized and efficient with all of this. 

Virtual Business Cards

With online networking, we can’t hand out business cards virtually, right?

So the chat becomes your business card. Prepare in advance, create a Word doc or a Google doc with precisely what you’re going to put in the chat. I recommend you put 

• your name, 
• phone number,
• email, 
• and title.

However, you want people to connect with you. My title would be sales and follow a coach or sales and follow-up expert, and then a quick offer for whatever it is you have going on. If you have a free webinar, a gift that you want to give people, or a program coming up, just something quick, but don’t hose people down with too much information because when they see a long post in the chat, they’re not going to look at it. Please be short and sweet about it, but enter your name because when people copy and paste from the chat, your onscreen name won’t show up.

Save the Chat

The next way to maximize your online networking is to always save the chat. This way you can see who is saying what and you can get everybody’s information. It’ll be super easy for you to capture their information. And then here’s what you want to do with that information. I’d like you to create an Excel spreadsheet or a Google spreadsheet, and name it, blank networking event attendees spreadsheet or whatever you want to call it. Each time you go to an event, you’ll make a copy of that spreadsheet. 

Taking Notes

You’ll call it the name and the date of the event. And then, when you’re in the breakout rooms, networking with people, you’ll write down/enter their names and whatever information they share and take notes.

Highlight the people who were most interested in what you offer, or you were most interested in what they offer for yourself personally, or maybe to partner up with them. Here’s the key. These are the people you want to follow up with because nothing’s going to come of it if you’re not following up. And all that time and energy, and money you’ve invested to attend these events are going to go down the drain. 

Schedule It

Make sure you put the time in your calendar to follow up with people. As soon as you put that event in your calendar, put scheduled time, the next few days, 15 minutes, 30 minutes an hour. It just depends on how big the event is and how long it is, and how many people you’re going to meet.

But schedule that time to follow up on that event. If it’s not on your calendar, it will not happen. 

Your Mission

So your action steps for this week, your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to write out your chat. What you’re going to put in the chat, create a spreadsheet for the event, but all the contact information in there, and then schedule time in your calendar. 

I have a great place for you to network. I’ve been hosting networking events for the last year. Plus, since COVID started, I’m bringing heart-centered entrepreneurs together from all over the world.

It’s been amazing. People are getting clients; they’re partnering up with each other. They’re getting referrals. They’re getting speaking gigs, and they’re getting on podcasts. And it’s just such a beautiful community. Everyone’s supportive and caring and wanting to help each other. So you can join us every third Wednesday of the month, from 9:30 am – 12 pm Pacific.

We have a vendor expo where you can come and visit the vendors and see if they have anything that could benefit you or anyone you know, or you can be a vendor as well. And then we will have a special guest speaker, and then another expo at the end of the networking.

To find out more about the event and to register, go to www.powerupyourfollowup.com/networking. 

All right, bye. For now.

Follow up Friday is back. I took a hiatus from posting my weekly follow up and sales tips. And now I’m back, and I’d love to get your input on what topics you’d like to hear me speak about. What parts of your business are you struggling with? How can I support you? This feedback will help. So please post in the comments.