Is your calendar filled with invitations from key community allies? You know the ones that lead to paying customers, or are you wasting your time milling around at Happy Hours in the hopes that your next big break is going to be found between chicken wing bites? These outdated time consuming "speed dating" networking events can be beneficial to meet people, but they rarely lead to invites from key players. To get added to the list, you have to begin to move early and strategically in the year to build relationships and support others. That means, you are going to have to be ready to spend a little time researching and spending money. Attending galas, banquets and events cost hard cold cash and if you have a lot of it, you can attend whatever event you want. But if you are a new business starting out or old one still finding your way, you want to be strategic with your dollars. Below are just a few helpful hints to get you started.
#1 - Research the event you want to attend and find out who the event planner is if it is an invitation only event. Once you have done your research, contact a potential attendee and become their plus one, or contact the event planner to find out how to make the list.
#2 - If you want to be seen at the largest charity event, scroll their website and find out when it will be held and purchase a ticket.
#3 - Serve as a volunteer. Volunteering will help you work up close and personal with leading decision makers. Make sure you are seen supporting and not just selling your products or services.
#4 - Check social media. Organizations and individuals always have some form of social media. They are often hosting contest and repeat what their followers are saying. Be seen in their feed and win a ticket to their next event.
#5 - Network and parlay this event into another one and invites from other attendees. You will find the social world is very small. Once you make a great impression on one group of people, it's really easy to get invited back time and time again.
No comments:
Post a Comment