Business Networking Events are a fantastic opportunity for every business. It is a prescribed time for business folks to gather, discover each other's business, and decide whether to have a further business conversation. It is a way to attach a your personality to your logo, meet neat people, and soften the impetus that comes with cold calling. Hang out, have a drink, meet people, find personality and opportunity.

We had a chance to attend a business networking event being put on by the local Chamber of Commerce this evening. In a small town, a Chamber of Commerce can be a particularly powerful entity as many of the business owners attend, and business owners often enjoy doing business with other business owners as peers. It had a bonus value for us as the host is a client of ours and we had the chance to support them as well as heighten our brand in the community. Plus, you know the food and atmosphere is great from our spotlight and photo shoots, https://steemit.com/entrepreneurship/@town-crier/town-crier-spotlight-revival-house so it is nice to spend time in a great place like this.

These events can be stressful for some. Meeting new people, forced conversations, social anxiety are prohibitive for many. There is also the pressure you put on yourself to have as many conversations as possible to get the most value of the time and money spent to be there. When you are not having fun, or honing your skills outside of your comfort zone, it can seem like a chore. WWTCD? (What would Town Crier Do?)

Have One Good Conversation

Remove the pressure to speed date everyone. Take your time and find the most comfortable situations to start a conversation. Buddy up with a social butterfly and ask them to introduce you to people. When you do all of these things, and focus on simply having 1 productive conversation, the whole event is a success.

It will either be a skill or comfort developing exercise or will lead to some closed business, or something in between. More importantly, it will make it less stressful, more enjoyable, and most likely lead to you making the decision to attend the next one.

Business is thrilling and scary, challenging and rewarding. Just doing it will lead to personal and financial growth. Removing the stress, knowing you are in it for the long haul, and setting simple goals will help. Business success is a marathon made up of many small steps. Sprint when you can but take the small steps when you can't

Have that one good conversation and celebrate your victory.

Do you network at these events in what you do?