How an Event Can Turn Contacts into Relationships

Do you feel like you’re spending way too much time going from event to event without seeing a return on your investment? Or, do you spend way too much time and money hosting events without seeing anything in return?

One of the most important benefits of hosting or going to a special event is developing and securing relationships. Special events are a great way to meet and mingle with business associates, clients and prospects. But if you don’t meet with them after the party in a “face to face” meeting, then the time spent was worthless.

Here are some tips for converting a first meeting at a business event into a valuable relationship:

• Don’t just hand out business cards when you talk with people at an event. Make sure you have a somewhat meaningful conversation. In addition to finding out what the other person does for a living, find out what town they live in, if they have children, if they have interests outside of work. Make sure to jot down this personal information on the back of the card. (Some of the cards are hard to write on, so I typically bring a piece of paper with me.)

• When you go home that evening, enter the information in your contact management system.

• Email the person the next day telling them it was nice to meet them. Don’t oversell in the email.

• Within two to three weeks, invite the person to breakfast or lunch to network.

• At the breakfast, keep things light. Talk about personal stuff first, business talk will follow.

• If you invite the person to breakfast or lunch, remember, you treat.

• Don’t just talk about yourself. Make sure to ask questions and listen.

• Try to develop some synergy between you. Keep your eye contact in check and see what you have in common.

• Follow up after the meeting with a quick email.

• Stay in touch. Don’t feel funny or uncomfortable about reaching out to the contact.

• Remember, people want to do business with people they like and can relate to.

It may seem like a lot of steps, but once you start using them, they will become second nature to you and you will start to reap the benefits of turning contacts into relationships.