what’s on: business & legal
top five
networking tips
As the old adage goes, who you know can be just as important as what you
know. For this reason, professional networking is booming, particularly
during the current economic climate. Social Media sites such as LinkedIn
and Twitter have helped to make networking even easier but they can’t
replace the value of meeting people face to face.
Edinburgh regularly plays host to a range of networking events so to
make the most of them we have compiled our top five tips for those who
are new to the networking scene.
1 Preparation is key. Before
heading
along
to
your
first event, prepare a brief
summary of who you are, what
you do, and what your work
background is as this will be
a key conversation opener.
Remember, keep it short and
sweet and if possible take
product samples.
2 Take a business card and
make sure this has all your
details – name, company,
phone number, email address,
website address and Twitter
handle for example.
3 Take a genuine interest
in the other attendees and
ask plenty of questions.
You never know who you
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might meet, what connections
you might have in common, or
what it could lead to.
4 Don’t just mingle with
familiar faces. The whole point
of these events is to increase
your circle of connections so
try to chat to as many new
faces as possible.
5 Follow up new connections by
emailing ideally within 24 hours
of the event. For less formal
business connections, a
shout out on
Twitter can
also help.