One of my favourite fables, The Grasshopper and the Ant, has a message that applies to the business world. The hard-working ant prepares for the future by gathering and storing food. His lazy neighbour, the grasshopper, spends his time in idle pursuits. When winter comes, the ant enjoys the fruits of his labours, and the grasshopper goes hungry. To build our businesses, we should consistently work on new opportunities, including keeping in touch with our connections and reaching out to people. I know it’s hard to do when you feel too busy in your business to work on your business. But these time management tips for better networking will help you build relationships and grow your business.

Organize and Consolidate Your Contacts

Whether you store your contacts’ information in an online address book or customer relationship manager (CRM), the first step is to clean up your contacts. Ideally, you should add your social media connections (not followers) to your address book or CRM so everything is in one place.

Next, decide which information you need to collect from your contacts. You may not have a phone number or email address for a LinkedIn connection, but you can save their LinkedIn URL. Then, you can reach out to them through that platform to book a meeting.

Planning Makes for Better Networking Meetings

Unproductive meetings waste everyone’s time. For this reason, it is essential to consider planning and preparing before you start scheduling.

During a meeting, you and your colleagues exchange information about yourselves and your businesses. That means you should be able to articulate what you do, what your business is about, and the type of client you serve. You don’t have to create a robotic pre-scripted elevator pitch. No one wants to hear that. However, you should write a few bullet points covering those topics and keep them front and centre during each conversation. Remember, you can only get (quality) referrals if your contacts know about you and understand your business services.

Networking event organizers often choose a theme to inspire conversation among attendees. You can do something similar. Even if you don’t have a theme, you should have some questions ready for your colleagues. But it isn’t a quiz! It’s a conversation, so focus on open-ended questions or statements such as these:

• Tell me about your most/least successful product/service.
• Who do you want to buy these products/services?
• Tell me about a recent success that you’re proud of.
• What are your biggest challenges right now?
• If I could help you with your challenges, what would you have me do?
• What is the latest news in your industry?
• Are there specific people/trades you’d like to connect with, and can I facilitate that for you?

Prepare to Take Notes

Taking notes during meetings or shortly after that is essential to reap the benefits of networking. Most CRMs have a Notes area to record meeting notes, but simple address books might not. Instead, you could use a notes app (e.g., Microsoft’s OneNote, Apple’s Notes, Google Keep, etc.) that syncs across your devices so you can use it on your phone if you meet someone in person or on your desktop if you have a virtual meeting. Also, many apps will store images within, so take a photo of the person’s business card and save it within the note.

For one-on-one meetings, prepare your meeting notes beforehand, and write the questions you wish to ask. It will help you remember to ask them, and you’ll have a space to write the answers. Remember to jot down the date and location of the meeting and the full names of attendees at the beginning of the note. It will help if you need to search for it later.

Establish a Networking Schedule

One of the most important time management tips for better networking is to establish a schedule. Some business coaches recommend attending at least one meeting per week to reap the benefits of networking. The meetings could be small, just you and another person, or an event with a large group.

Of course, if you are participating in an in-person event (I attend weekly VanEx meetings), a block of time is automatically set for you. However, to arrange smaller or one-on-one sessions, a time-blocking technique will help you designate specific periods in your weekly schedule to book meetings. In addition, using a meeting scheduling solution will allow you and your colleagues to arrange meetings quickly and easily.

For Better Networking, Follow Up

Follow up with new contacts within 24 hours of your meeting. You can email or message them on social media platforms. Refer to your conversation to reinforce your connection and let them know you’re interested in them and their business. If the person mentioned an upcoming event or challenge, create a reminder for yourself to message them again to inquire about the situation.

Jumping around from meeting to meeting like a grasshopper can be fun. But it might not help your business during the lean times. Instead, be like the hard-working ant and use these time management tips for better networking to help you build a strong community. Do you need help setting up a schedule to maximize your networking? If so, contact the Out of Chaos team today.

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