When you attend a networking event do you have a goal? Do you know when you're successful and when you're not?

Before you walk in the door of your next event give some thought to what you'd like to accomplish. What will make attending this event a really productive use of your time?

Knowing what you'd like your outcome to be will take you a long ways towards being successful. From there is there some way that you can measure that success and set a goal?

If you've been reading my tips for very long you probably no that I have a strong preference for quality over quantity. So I generally don't recommend the more obvious approach of wanting to walk out with 25 business cards. This is unlikely to help you really get what you want. Plus it's hard to quickly grab cards from a large number of people at an event without looking like a schmuck, and making a bad impression.

Instead you'd probably be well served by meeting the right 1 or 2 people at the event who would be willing to meet with you one on one after the event. Who would this person be for you? A top sales professional in a complimentary industry? An individual with lots of experience in an area where you're struggling who could mentor you?

The more specifically you are able to define this right person the easier it will be to find them. Why? Because as you meet other people you'll be able to ask them if they know someone like that. Ideally they'll be at the event and someone will be able to introduce you. If not you're very likely to receive an introduction outside of the meeting. Either way you win.

Meeting the right person makes all the difference. It really only takes 1 good connection to make a successful event, not a pocket full of cards that you're unlikely to follow-up on effectively anyway. Hopefully this helps.

Happy Networking!