It’s incredible how inefficient some people are when networking.

Especially, if they’re networking without a clear story or self-identity. First impressions are important. Just because I have your business card and you added me on LinkedIn does not mean I’m ever going to remember anything about you. I’ve always been candid with my feedback and wanted to share some pointers with the community on optimizing their networking experience, so here we go:

GETTING READY

Have Business Cards:
You really have no excuse not to have one. For under $50, you can have Staples print some within a few hours or have VistaPrint ship you a box within a week. While many people stress on the importance of design quality and uniqueness of the card, having a $500 platinum plated business card makes no difference to me if you only made a mediocre impression. Just have a card.

Do Research Beforehand:
Embrace the power of the internet. If the event is hosted on EventBrite or promoted on Twitter, follow the hashtags or browse around the public guestlist to look up the attending guests to find who might be most appropriate for you to talk to. Jot some quick notes and bring it to you to the event.

Make Early Introductions:
When necessary, e-mail a few key attending guests to let them know that you’ll also be attending. Be brief. Then re-introduce yourself when you arrive. You’ll now have someone you already know at the event.

NETWORKING

Arrive Fashionably Late (Optional):
You can do this IF and ONLY IF you are fully comfortable with taking the initiative to make introductions. This will save you some time with having to fumble around a limited supply of fish who are all getting warmed up themselves. Arrive when everyone is already onto their 2nd or 3rd drinks (or discussions).

Take Initiative:
This isn’t the time to check out your Facebook news feed or Twitter follower count. You can do all of that when you get home. To simplify things: walk up with a smile, extend your arm, and say “hello.” Leave the person to fill in the gap. And if they don’t, just begin with some small talk about how they found out about the event.

Pitch Yourself:
People judge you fast. You better have a story about why you’re there that day. Answer the question “Who are you?” without ever having the other person ask you explicitly. There’s no need to tell your life story, but you should at least be able to provide some sort of unique affiliations: your hometown, education, and background.

Have a Purpose:
“I’m here to network” is too vague. “I’m here to find a job” is also too vague and sounds needy. Instead, position it in a way where you are providing value and opening yourself to specific opportunities. Along with my introduction and pitch, I instead state that I am looking for guidance and mentorship. The results are incredible. Everyone’s willing to offer their 2 cents.

Listen:
I won’t go into importance of listening. You can Google that

Offer Your Insights:
Whether it’s a short compliment or a long drawn out strategic plan for getting them where they want to be, your insight and opinion shows that you have some sort of value to add. It also show’s that you’re genuinely interested. Ref: Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People.

Move Quickly:
You’re going to be meeting a lot of weird people. Or people who just don’t have much mutual interests. It’ll save their time as well as yours to sever the conversation short. Tell them you’re going to refill your drink or go look for your friends (even if you came alone). You can ask if they want to come along, they’ll usually decline. Just be polite about it.

Connect People:
Remember those childhood logic games where you had to match two card patterns by flipping two at a time? Just like that, keep a mental profile of everyone you meet. Assign “tags” to them. If you’ve got a bad memory, use your phone’s notes app or draft a text message. This way, when you find matches you can make an awesome introduction they’ll be very thankful for.

Game the Gems:
Did you finally find a solid connection? Awesome! Don’t let that magic fade away and get all awkward. Before the conversation even begins to dwindle down, take the initiative to transition to somewhere else. Turn your interaction into a fun experience. “Hey, that group over there looks interesting. Let’s go chat with them.” or separate and meet back up later.

Finish on a High Note:
Before you’re ushered away by the late night janitors, make your farewells and always try to end on a high note. And just like when you made the introduction, remember to smile!

FOLLOWING UP

Remind Them Who You Are:
Adding them to your social network or shooting them a blank e-mail with a plain “pleasure to have met” message is a wasted effort. When you can afford to, always try and include the highlights from your conversation in your follow-up. It will also help to remind them about how you may be valuable to them in the future.

People Are Going to Flake:
Don’t get discouraged when someone you sent a follow-up to doesn’t respond. That just means your timing was off and/or your impression was weak. If you truly truly are interested in a getting a hold of them, there are many unconventional (still legal) ways to get a hold of them when necessary. Follow them around in the community and just chat with them again next time.

Stay Connected:
When networking, it’s easy to forget and be forgotten. For the contacts that are meaningful to you, send them an e-mail a few months down the line. Tell them what you’ve been up to and ask if they’ve got anything on their plate you could help out with. And if there are any similar events coming up, invite them out and reconnect.

REPEAT AND PROSPER

Good luck!