Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/674548
I DA U N I V E R S A L M ay -J u n e 2 0 1 6 5 Los Angeles, California Hyatt Regency Long Beach October 26 - 29 2016 IDA Convention & Trade Show Best regards, Nancy When you have to actually remove yourself from your duvet, leave your house and travel to have these connec- tions, you aren't going to be missing opportunities. Being there in person tells your audience they are important to you. Because you have to put in a bit of eff ort, you should get something valuable out of the networking event, so attend it prepared. When possible, research your customer ahead of time. ink about what questions you want to ask. 6) Conversation = creativity Networking is not just about securing business opportunities, but can open a number of doors later down the line. Real life networking means conversations, and it is conversation that o en leads to collaboration, new ideas and ventures, and new partner- ships. You can see and respond to people's reactions – like facial expressions and body language – as well as their tone of voice. By actively listening, you begin to understand their perspective, and then you will know what type of probing questions to ask. Having an in-depth face-to-face talk sparks this creativity more so than in an online environment. 7) You get feedback immediately. It can be frustrating waiting for an email to appear in your inbox. Face-to-face networking speeds up these discussions, meaning things can progress much quicker. 8) You can tailor your message. e way you respond to one person may not be the same as the way you respond to another. When you post online, the same message goes out to everyone, and some people may not respond to it as well as others. When you network face to face, you can adjust how you phrase things according to your audience and can better gauge their response. 9) You can show off your personality. When people buy from a business, they are o en buying YOU. Yes, your product is important, but what makes your business special the majority of the time is the person behind it. Yes, you can show off your personality online, but it's never going to come close to real life. 10) You can build LASTING connections. Real life networking will o en build longer-lasting relationships. You can have a conversation with someone online, only for them to disap- pear off the face of the Internet a week later. Because real life networking will o en go into more depth and involve more conversation, you are more likely to foster trust and build solid, long-term relationships and partnerships.