Networking etiquette is the set of unwritten rules that decides whether a room of business owners wants to do business with you. In Part 2 of our Marketing 101 series, Equilibrium Marketing, a Loveland, Colorado marketing agency, lays out the four rules — politeness, selflessness, follow-up, and appearance — that put you ahead of 75% of businesses.
TL;DR
- The first impression you make at a networking event lasts for the rest of the relationship — show up polite and positive no matter what your day looked like.
- Selfless networking beats selfish networking: leading with what you can do for others starts slower but compounds into far more business over the long run.
- Take every follow-up meeting, even when you suspect a sales pitch — one meeting costs you an hour, and the lead it might produce could change your business.
- People judge you within moments of seeing you, so it's always okay to be slightly overdressed.
Networking etiquette is easily the most important thing that can make or break your business in any networking group. It tells people almost immediately what type of business and person you are, and it allows them to nearly instantly decide if they want to entertain the idea of doing business with you. The importance of networking etiquette cannot be overstated!
What are the rules of networking etiquette?
Four rules cover most of it: always be polite and positive, always be selfless, always follow up, and remember that appearance matters. None of them are complicated. All of them get broken constantly.
1. Always be polite and positive
This one seems obvious but believe it or not people fail on this most basic step frequently. When you go to any networking function it doesn't matter what type of day you had, it doesn't matter how you're feeling, it doesn't matter what text you got or call you had to take immediately before walking in.
What matters is the impression you're making on new people is going to last with them for what will likely be the rest of your relationship, and if that impression is negative then it could have far-reaching effects on your ability to grow your business in that community.
2. Always be selfless
Another point which seems obvious but is overlooked more than virtually every other aspect of networking is the need to put others before yourself. If you talk to everyone with the intention of what they can do for you rather than what you can do for them, you won't get very far.
Selflessness will create goodwill and positive results for your business that can last for decades. Your results may be a little slower at first than selfish networking, but they will grow exponentially and lead to tremendously more business in the long run.
3. Always follow up
If someone wants to follow up with you after a networking event, meet with them. It doesn't matter if you can use the services that person offers. It doesn't matter if you have an immediate lead to provide to that person. Always meet with anyone who wants to follow up with you after a networking event because you never know if days, weeks, or months down the road they can give you that life-changing lead.
Even if you are worried they may be trying to sell you something, what does one meeting truly cost you compared to the potential downside? Additionally, refusing to follow up with people can come off as selfish or negative by assuming the worst of the person who is trying to follow up with you or showing that you're only interested in people who can immediately benefit you.
4. Appearance matters
Especially in our modern society we like to live our lives asking everyone to see us for who we are, not how we look, but we all know better. People make judgements of others within moments of seeing them, so pay attention to your appearance at networking events and remember it's okay to be slightly overdressed.
How much of an edge does good etiquette give you?
While the above points are far from exhaustive, they'll put you ahead of 75% of other businesses out there in the results you get while networking.
If you haven't read it yet, Part 1 of this series covers where to network in the first place — chambers of commerce, leads groups, and the events actually worth your time. And when your network starts sending you more business than you can chase, our marketing services can carry the load. Questions? Give us a call!
Key Takeaways
- Your bad day is not the room's problem. Check it at the door — first impressions stick for the life of the relationship.
- Lead with what you can do for others. Selfless networking compounds; selfish networking stalls.
- Say yes to every follow-up meeting. The cost is an hour; the upside might be a life-changing lead.
- Dress slightly better than the room. People decide who you are within moments of seeing you.
- These four rules alone put you ahead of 75% of the other businesses out there networking.
Phil Lawrence founded Equilibrium Marketing in Loveland, Colorado in 2019 on one idea: marketing should tell the truth. He's built an agency whose team has worked with 200+ businesses over their careers, with flat-rate pricing, no long term contracts, and zero tolerance for industry nonsense. He'd rather lose a sale than lie to you.
