I have had many one2ones over the years. Some good, some bad, but the worst ones are with people that are always checking their phones. It does not seem to matter if they get an alert or just look at it in habit. Now everyone seems to have a smart-watch as well. Again, regularly looking at it.

Do yourself a favour, when in a one2one, customer meeting, networking event, put your phone to silent and put in your pocket or handbag! It will surprise you the number of conversations that start because someone else is “playing” with their phone. Having your attention on your phone says that you do not want to be bothered, so why are you there?!

All networking events have agendas that detail how the meeting will run. But I find that the best conversations, and the most profitable, are those that happen after the meeting.

If the networking event starts at 9am and finishes at 11am, you need to make sure you have 30 minutes before, and have at least an hour available after the meeting. Far to often you will meet someone interesting and as soon as the meeting is over, they have to rush off as they have an appointment with a client. Why arrange a another meeting straight after a networking meeting?

Talking to people before and after the meeting is really easy. Before the meeting everyone is in one of two boats, first time or not? Find this out and continue from there. At the end of the meeting simply asking if they enjoyed the meeting or met anyone interesting is a great conversation starter.

Most meetings have people who arrive late, and people that leave as soon as the event is over. Make sure this is not you! Your best options are to be there just after the organisers turn up, help if you can, and be one of the last to leave. There will be others doing this, they are the ones that want to use their time wisely, and know the opportunities to meet new people is limited. It’s a networking meeting, you will never be on your own.

Top tip, looking in a hurry, always claiming to be busy, does not help your business at a networking meeting. You have to be interested in others, and have time to spend with them.

The primary purpose of a CRM is to increase sales. To increase sales you need to build relationships, and that is what a CRM, if used correctly should facilitate.

All strangers are potential customers, suppliers, partners or introducers. You job is to follow-up, arrange One2Ones, and then, at the One2One, listen to what the stranger is saying. At this point, within your CRM, the stranger has gone from “Lead”, to “Engaged”.

Where they go next is down to the conversation you have. The first thing you should discover is whether they will buy from you. This is not to say that you should sell to them, more find out if there is a need for your product or service.

If they are not buying, then what can you help them with? How can you improve the results of their business? Do you share the same clients or event types of client. You are looking to work together, as partners, you really do need to get on with each other. If not partners, then maybe you can be “introducers” for each other. There does not need to be payments or commissions involved, just helping each other maybe enough.

Finally we come to supplier, the stranger may not need your product or service, but you maybe in need of theirs. If you do a lot of One2One’s then eventually you will know two strangers that can help each other, but they have never met, that’s when networking becomes great. When you can “introduce” two strangers and know that you have helped both.

What you should not do at a networking event is ignore or decide that someone should not go into your CRM. People are different depending on their situation. Someone who does not talk or explain their business well in a networking meeting, might be just the person you or your associates need. Do not discredit any “stranger” until you have had at least one One2One with them. At that One2One you may be surprised who they know, who they are related to, and who their clients are!

I love automation, it is what computers were made for! But for people who network, they should not automate their emails, not until the new contact is a paying customer. The same goes for Ai. People know when an email is automated or written by Ai, and that puts you back a step.

What emails am I talking about?

• “It was good to meet you at todays event”
• “I have added you to my mailing list”
• A boring email of your “Products and services”
• Another boring list of your “customers with testimonials”

I find that the best email to send after a networking event is as simple as “It was great to meet you today at …….. “, making sure you name the event.

If you did not get to speak to the person, say so, and let them know that you would like to catch up as soon as possible.

If you did talk to the person, mention something about the conversation and that you would like to continue the conversation as soon as possible.

DO NOT get Ai to write or revise this email. You want the email to sound like you. It is true, people buy from people, and no-one wants to think that they are part of your process, or that you can’t write an introductory email.

And the best thing to add in your introduction email? A solution or advice for a problem they have mentioned during the meeting. Not a solution you sell, again, people know when they are being sold to. What’s important is that the person knows that you were listening to them.

Try it, your next follow-up email, you will get that one-2-one!