What is your biggest challenge right now?

What is your biggest challenge right now? I can’t wait for this discussion, so please pop your challenge in the comments below, and let’s help each other!

Spoiler alert – mine is burn out around Networking, and below I have some really handy tips that I’ve picked up from experts in my networking journey.

What I am hearing predominantly from other businesses right now is that their biggest challenges are:

- being short staffed

- leads drying up (I have a remedy for this!! Just ask me!) and

- time management

While all of these challenges are absolutely true for some businesses, mine is the energy it takes to network, and putting procedures in place to be a good networker, and not burning out.

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After some stressful months of burning the candle at both ends, my business coach Androulla Sakkas and I have put strategies and procedures in place to stop the burn out.

Be prepared

I have a ready-made folder that I take to all networking events. It consists of:

-??????business cards (which for me, are of course little chocolate bars with my business card details on them .... but more than that, on the back we've added a QR code, which takes them to my linktree where they can see our websites, social media pages, and of course, and most importantly, set up a meeting with me.)

-??????pens and blank paper to write notes about people I meet

-??????brochures

-??????an empty business card holder (explained soon!)

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Open mind, and open body language

I've learnt recently that if you want to be approachable, look it! Stand up straight, have a relaxed body, and stand inan open group. If everyone in the group is huddled together, other people won’t feel comfortable approaching you. Be the person that welcomes a person standing on their own. From personal experience – at one of the first networking events I ever went to on my own, I stood at the window with my back to the others in the room. It wasn’t until the kindest soul walked over to me, and said “Hey, come and chat with us introverts, we promise we won’t overwhelm you” that I truly felt comfortable. Make a difference in someone’s day. Pay it forward as you will truly make an impact on someone!

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Say goodbye and move on

We’re not at a networking event to meet one person. The first part of NET-working is spreading that metaphorical net as far as you can, and see how many fish (did I just refer to people as fish?? Hang in with me here - as the analogy is good!) you can catch. Cast your NET far and wide with as many touch points as possible. Set up meetings outside of the networking event, as that is where the business will happen.

The easiest and politest way to move on is literally to say (in your own words of course) “It was so lovely to meet you this morning, I am so glad that we got the chance to chat. I’ve set myself a goal of meeting x amount of people this morning. I hope that my other conversations are as great as ours just was, and I truly can’t wait to catch up again.”

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Follow up!!!! (It deserves all these exclamation marks!)

Remember the empty business card holder that I mentioned before? I use it to put the business cards of everyone that I interact with in. Depending on my schedule, either that day, or the following business day, my intent is to follow up with each person I met, as well as add them on Linked in. I have a generic email template that I modify for each person. If you would like the template, just ask (my email address is listed below)

Don’t forget – if you want a follow up meeting, arrange it! Send them your Calendly link (If you do not have Calendly, or something similar where people can book meetings with you, this is my number 1 suggestion that you do!!) and ask for the meeting.

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Network with intent

Once a fortnight I do the figures and see how my networking is affecting my business. Are the leads coming in, and are they converting into sales. As soon as I started measuring the success of my networking, I could see how it financially made sense to take the time and effort to do it. It also helped me justify it to the rest of the office, or a spouse who doesn’t understand networking (can you believe I had to write that, but tell me a small business person who doesn’t feel the same way) that I am not off enjoying a coffee or a gasbag with friends, and that I am actually working.

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Don’t burn out

Remember, we are all human. We need rest. Some of us are introverts in the sense that human interaction actually sucks energy from us, and we need time to recuperate after. Take your networking time into consideration and give yourself the following morning off if you need to after a late night. Plan an easier afternoon if you have an early start. Be kind to yourself.

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Networking can be fun, and it should be fun, but at the end of the day, remember that it’s called net-WORK-ing for a reason!

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Would you like to chat to me about this more?! Send me an email, or call me. [email protected] / 0417 332 015

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The Candy Buffet Company (establish 2010) is an Australia Wide company which provides catering (sweet and savoury) to Corporate events, and all of life’s special occasions. Registered food handlers, with $20 million public liability. Specialising in Corporate Events

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Marissa Mascaro is the Managing Director, of The Candy Buffet Company. She is an INFJ introvert who has spent so much time recently on personal development that she didn’t think it was fair to keep all of these tips to herself!

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Candybuffet.com.au

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