A top seller once told me an excellent story about networking at tradeshows. He arrived at an event, aimed at hospital workers and spotted yoga on the list of extracurricular activities. So, each morning at 7 a.m., he did mountain pose with fellow attendees.
His rationale? When I asked, he said: “Colleen, I’m on the road to make sales to feed my family. If I’m going to spend all this time away from my wife and kids, I owe it to them to spend every single minute maximizing my relationship-building time. Otherwise, I’m doing a disservice to my family.”
This top seller seized opportunities around him to network. And you know what? Those yoga classes were real door openers. During the tradeshow, people recognized him from the morning session and stop by his booth. This ultimately led to new relationships and sales.
Here are some tips to help you optimize your networking for that next event:
1. Be wise with your travel time. Use in-air time to complete any assigned reading and look through the catalogue to pinpoint workshops you’d like to attend. Check e-mails and knock out other business from the office. That way, you’re prepared when you arrive and have extra time to meet people. READ MORE
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