7 Brilliant Business Networking Tips for Beginners

Business networking is a great way to find new clients and grow your business. These business networking tips for beginners ensure you get the most from every meeting you attend.

When it comes to networking, some people are born with all the gifts and effortlessly attract introductions, referrals, and oodles of new business. The rest of us have to learn the dos and don’ts, gain experience, and expend effort to get the most out of it.

Without further ado, here are seven business networking tips for beginners designed to get you started on the right foot...

1. You must be in the room.
2. Be authentic.
3. Ignore nobody.
4. Listen.
5. Don’t wing it.
6. Dress professionally.
7. Ask for introductions.

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at each one of these business networking tips for beginners. Scroll down the page and let’s get going!

1. You Must be in the Room

The idea that you need to be in the room applies in both senses of that phrase. You must be...

1. Physically present
2. Mentally present

There will be days when you wake up and don’t want to attend a networking breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Maybe you’re feeling under the weather, a little hungover, or have too many other things to do? Perhaps your last networking meeting didn’t go so well, and you’re succumbing to the temptation to blame them rather than take responsibility.

We’ve all been in this place, but the plain fact is that nothing can happen when you’re not in the room. The possibility of meeting a new client or a referral partner exists only when you show up.

And you must show up both in person and in spirit.

When it comes to these business networking tips for beginners, this is number one on the list for a reason. Next time you find yourself in this position, pull yourself together and turn up ready to network like the boss you are!

2. Be Authentic

You don’t need to acquire a new personality for business networking. You’re fine just the way you are.

Besides, as a beginner, you have enough to do while you’re in the room without the additional complexity of acting.

And yes, this is the second business of my business networking tips for beginners, precisely because it’s an essential ingredient to your long-term networking success.

Relax, and be yourself.

Some people won’t respond to you, but others will. Accept that you are the way you are and that business networking meetings aren’t the appropriate venue to work on perceived “flaws.”

3. Ignore Nobody

It’s tempting to seek out the most impressive people in the room and ignore life’s wallflowers. That’s almost certainly a mistake, which is why it’s number three on this list of business networking tips for beginners.

The plain fact is that everybody in the room knows someone to whom you’d like to be introduced.

Imagine disengaging early from a seemingly unpromising connection only to find out later they’re related to your dream client. This can and does happen, and sometimes, the person you disengage from resents you for doing so, greatly reducing the odds they’ll introduce you to your dream client down the track.

When you find yourself talking to someone who doesn’t seem all that promising, don’t shoot yourself in the foot. Instead, pay attention to the next tip in the list and put it into practice.

4. Listen Harder

Every time you talk, you’re depriving yourself of the opportunity to learn important new information about the other person. Pay attention to everything they tell you about themselves and their business.

Do this whether they’re addressing you personally or talking to the entire room.

The better you get at remembering salient facts about the people you meet at networking meetings, the more successful these events will be.

When you find your mind wandering or thinking that a conversation is going nowhere, ask one of the open questions suggested in this LinkedIn post and pay attention to the answer. You’ll almost certainly uncover something useful.

One of the hardest skills to master is listening. Some people are naturally gifted in this area, but everyone seeking to network effectively must become skilled at hearing what other people are telling them and remembering it. That’s why I included listening in this list of business networking tips for beginners.

To ensure you always uncover useful information about the other person, memorise the open questions in the LinkedIn Post above, and be ready to deploy them when an opportunity arises.

5. Don’t Wing It

As the old saying goes, “Practice makes perfect.” Most networking groups give you 45 to 60 seconds to introduce yourself and your business to the group. But even at an unstructured networking event, you still need to introduce yourself to others.

You must enter the room having practised this brief introduction so that you can deliver it flawlessly without having to think. That way, if your mind freezes, your tongue will take over with well-practised ease.

Being able to quickly and concisely convey who you are and what you do is important, but what should you say in your short introduction? Here’s how I introduce myself to the room...

1. Hello, everyone.
2. My name is Wayne. Wayne Davies.
3. From The One Stop Web Shop.
4. I make websites. I create content for websites. I diagnose and fix websites.
5. And I’ve been doing this for 27 years.
6. Do you know someone who works for or runs an IT service company?
7. If so, I’d very much appreciate an email introduction.
8. I am Wayne. Wayne Davies of The One Stop Web Shop.

When practising this introduction, I make sure I can deliver it in less than 45 seconds. You’ll notice that I don’t ask for business, and instead ask for an introduction to a specific type of person. When it comes to business networking tips for beginners, you can consider this a bonus tip.

Here’s why I ask for an introduction rather than business...

As a web designer, I find that people who run IT service companies make ideal referral partners. This is because IT service companies are often asked whether they can help fix or build websites. They often don’t do this work in-house, but instead contract freelance web designers to do that work for them.

At any business networking meeting, the people in the room are more likely to know someone who sees the same clients you do, but doesn’t directly compete with you. Agreeing to introduce you to that person via email provides them with an easy referral opportunity.

6. Dress Professionally

Another old saying that newbies looking for business networking tips for beginners are advised to take on board is, “Clothes maketh the man.”

This remains true for both men and women, irrespective of the overly casual dress typically worn by New Zealanders. In fact, I’ll go so far as to say this aphorism is true precisely because of the casual nature of our dress.

Most business people turn up to business networking events in Auckland wearing the same clothes they wear while at work. Here in New Zealand, we tend to dress down and look a bit shabby. Take it from me, there’s a reason that making the effort to dress up is on this list of business networking tips for beginners.

When you turn up looking slightly more professional than everyone else, other people in the room subconsciously confer useful unearned distinctions on you...

• Competence
• Professionalism
• Leadership

Yes, you will convey all these attributes to people as they get to know you. But you can also convey them right now, to everyone in the room, merely by dressing the part and presenting yourself as you want to be seen.

This doesn’t mean turning up in a suit and tie when that isn’t appropriate for your industry. You must look like the best example of your profession or trade. A plumber should not look like a banker, and vice versa. Instead, both should look like exemplary versions of their respective occupations.

7. Ask to be Introduced

Other lists of business networking tips for beginners seldom include this one. Nevertheless, this tip is useful for those who happen to be socially awkward.

Let’s conjure up a typical business networking meeting...

You arrive as a first-time visitor to an established networking group. The room is already full of people engaged in conversations with each other. Somebody greets you at the door, takes your details, and tells you to mingle and introduce yourself to the group.

To a shy person, this is akin to asking them to build a full-sized replica of the Auckland Skytower out of toothpicks!

Rather than struggle on awkwardly, and come across to others as someone struggling on awkwardly, I suggest you instead ask the greeter to introduce you to someone.

Business networking tips for beginners often focus on things to do after you start talking, but #7 is about warming up your first introduction and setting you off on the right foot.

More Business Networking Tips for Beginners

You’ll find more business networking tips for beginners in this article. And there are plenty of other networking resources worth checking out on the Internet.

But education can only take you so far. You need a reliable venue that creates a safe space for you to practice your networking skills. That’s where networking groups like Bx come into their own.

Networking groups provide training and plenty of opportunities to practice the skills you learn. You get to know the other members of the group, and they provide a safe space in which it’s less daunting to try out new business networking ideas.

You’ll find more business networking tips for beginners on my LinkedIn profile. I even have one or two advanced networking tips planned for future posts. Connect with me on LinkedIn so you don’t miss a thing.