95: What Networking Group Organizers Wish You Knew Before Your Next Event

Isn't that a great story? So two people, local to Oklahoma City, met at a mix and mingle and got married.

So let me go through what she said.

She said, I wish people understood that you have to have one-to-ones with the business owners you're meeting at your networking meetings.

That's important and that these one-to-ones are not sales appointments.

They are a chance to get to know each other and And see where your networks can intersect.

Does the baseball coach of your son's little league need something that the person across from you offers? How are you going to know if you don't get to know that person better? This is where you're deciding to, am I going to refer this person? This is a great way to start that process of, will I refer this person? I may have only talked to him or her five minutes at the networking meeting and I heard his elevator pitch.

Is that going to be enough? For some people, it's not enough.

Some people need more.

And this is why these one-to-ones are so important.

So her main thing that she wishes people, knew more about and thought more about was having the one-to-ones after the meeting.

You don't have to have a one-to-one with everybody.

Pick a few and make time in your schedule for these one-to-ones.

And when you go, Go for the purpose of learning more about the person you're talking to, learning more about their business.

We only know a shadow of what each other does.

We do not know what each other does.

We don't know what we do.

I'm a hear that someone is a realtor.

I may hear that someone's a painter.

I may hear that someone is an IT person.

I only know a shadow.

I don't know what they do.

First of all, I don't know the industry as well as I think I do.

And secondly, I don't know that business owner's business as well as I think I do.

And often we don't know enough to refer.

Now, if that person has a really specific elevator pitch, that can help.