Brilliant networking conversations

One of the main purposes of attending a networking event is to meet people who can build your network. These people can be your customers or they can refer you to your ideal customers. For this to happen, professionals need to come armed and prepared for their networking duties. They should bring lots of business cards and know their 30-second elevator pitch by heart. They should also be armed with a list of questions that can facilitate a good conversation for future business success. These business or social conversations should be active for both the speaker and the listener. They should also be lively, fun, and memorable for all parties involved. In essence, champagne and beer shouldn’t be the only shiny things at your next networking event!

Listed below are questions that can help create a bubbly reaction to any networking conversation.

Typical networking question: “What do you do for a living?”

Instead of asking this question, entrepreneurs should try to be creative in their conversational approach. For example, they should ask: “What do you enjoy about your job or profession?”, “How many years of experience do you have in your job or career?”, “What is your background to do your current job?”, “Will you continue in this career or are you interested in trying something different?”, “Does your job or career allow you to carry out other activities and develop other similar skills?”.

Typical networking question: “Who buys your services or products?”

Instead of asking this question, professionals are encouraged to ask more constructive questions to learn more about their trading counterparts. A great question is: “Who is your ideal customer?”, “How do you market to your target audience?”, “What are some of the difficulties involved in reaching your target audience?”, “How do you find ways to improve your services and products to create customer/client loyalty?”, “How do you keep your prices competitive for your customers or consumers?”.

Typical networking question: “Are you a member of this organization or group?”

Instead of asking this question, professionals should try asking more detailed questions to get the correct answers to their questions. A professional should ask, “Are you familiar with the mission or goals of this group or organization?”, “How often does this group or organization have networking events similar to the one we are attending?”, “Who is most likely to join? this organization?”, “What are the benefits for members of joining this group or organization?”