Kevin Willett says finding a common bond and following up are more effective than just being seen.

Friends often tell me they try and get out to as many events as possible, meet as many people as possible, but in the end are not seeing results. The challenge is going from seeing people in a social environment to actually sitting down with them at some point and talking business. We hear all the time we have to “get out there” “put yourself out there” “be seen” this will get you business. Hmmm, I think we are confusing being busy with being productive. Going out to these events may be fun, but at the end of the day, we need to get business done.

Another issue my Friends find is too many people of the same job description going to the same events. When I was in Banking, we went to a lot of events. Unfortunately, so did all the other bankers in town. Now that I run my own business, I have decided to only go to events that I am passionate about, that I may have an interest in beyond finding business and to find connections with similar interests as me. I don’t go just to go and be seen anymore. Of course, for me, it’s a little different since I am a Professional Networker, but for you, my advice is this: Think of the best use of your time, go to events that you really have an interest in, Think about who at the event may be a good connection for you. Once you have done this and made that initial connection, take the next step. Reach out, set up a coffee meeting and talk about how you can work together. Finding a common bond and following up are more effective than just being seen. Once again the old saying of quality over quantity rings true.

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Kevin Willett is the Author of One Connection How you can grow your business  (and change the world) one connection at a time. The business networking book is available on Amazon. Purchase One Connection on Amazon

Kevin is also the CEO of the Friends of Kevin Networking Group  and the New England B2B Networking Group. Please connect with him on social media to hear about his upcoming business networking events