Monday 14 January 2013

6 Steps to Running a Networking Event

So in our last post we looked at how you can get refferals of the ideal client from an ideal referral source.

The idea at it's core was a meet and greet to determine which businesses have a similar raison d'etre to yours: that is a great client experience and true value and partnership and collaboration with clients. (stop reading now if you don't want that as an outcome!).

So who do you invite and how do you structure it?

Here are 6 steps that work!



1) Who to invite:

- existing referral contacts

- ask them to bring a peer

- ask them to bring key staff

Next layer of invitation:

- your local business networking group contacts : ask them to refer to the event their accountant / solicitor/ mortgage / general insurance broker

Next layer of invitation:

- any business contact who could add value in engaging on the night ie: they have a service that the attendees could utilise

Next layer of invitation:

- local businesses that you think could refer to you : check out websites to see if they offer in house services like yours

- then call them and see if they do lets say you make a discrete inquiry as if you were a potential client

Next layer of invitation:

- existing clients : who are their accountants etc? : ring your best 10 client and ask


2) Speaker: who are you going to get that will be free!!??

- local politician

- travel / lifestyle sourced from local business

Remember you are positioning yourself as a facilitator so getting a local memberof parliment is a great coup.

3) Invitation

- as per our previous post ......the key aim is "meet local businesses who face similar issues/challenges"......and secondary "our special guest(s)......."

4) Format

- no business pitch
- know who is coming
- strategically introduce people on the night
- let the evening flow

5) Location

- room / side room / adjoining area of bar/ local hotel - somewhere with atmosphere and sight and sound that does not drown you out but layers the senses


6) Follow up

- we can discuss that later in our next post

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