35. Have personal business cards if you are seeking a new job or career. Don’t use old cards.
36. Wear your badge on your right. As you shake hands, the other person’s eyes will naturally follow down the line of the arms and automatically see your name.
37. Keep moving! You are there for work and to connect with as many contacts and prospects as possible, within reason.
38. Excuse yourself by going for a drink, outside for a breath of fresh air or, introduce someone else to a person when you wish to extricate yourself.
39. Ask to contact the interesting person(s) after the event and suggest a day when it may be convenient to call and make sure you do so on the agreed day.
40. Request a list of participants if it is practical and will not cause embarrassment. This will jog your memory in case there were people there whose cards you did not receive.
41. Thank your host before leaving and then again in a letter or e-mail to show your appreciation. Good basic manners are great for business.
42. Ask for what you want when you meet the person who can help you. If you do not ask you will never know if your request would have been successful.
43. Restrict the time you spend with one person or on one subject. If you are believe you are establishing a rapport arrange to meet again after the initial meeting.
44. Stand sideways on so that you are able to see what is happening around you and you can introduce others to the person to whom you are presently talking.
45. Approach groups of three or more, it is easier to break in and they will welcome new faces and new contacts.
…Thats it! Combined with my previous blog posts, you now have all of the 45 golden rules when it comes to working the room. If you struggle to approach any kind of group with the confidence or your ‘ice-breaking’ skills aren’t quite up to scratch, why not enrol on our ‘Working the Room‘ web seminar next Monday 14th March?
As usual, check back on the Kintish Networking blog for the latest hints and tips or alternatively, visit www.kintish.co.uk and www.linkedintraining.co.uk for further free and valuable information on all aspects of networking.