5 Networking Tips

1. It's better to talk in depth with one person then hand out business cards like candy on Halloween. People will help you much more readily if you make a relationship with a person first. It's better to make real connections then superficial ones.

2. People will help you, but you have to ask. There's lots of people out there who are willing to help you achieve your goals and in order to find out who will start talking about what it is you're trying to accomplish. Let people know what you're currently working on.

3. Talk to everyone. Give people a chance to show who they are and be open to talking to anyone you make a honest connection with. It's important to keep your circle open because it allows you to get a wider range of ideas.

4. Don't sell too hard. People buy products from people they like. Focus on creating relationships with people who may in turn buy from you or link you up to someone in their network who will.

5. Offer something to others. At most networking events people are looking to get something from others. In order to stand out from the crowd a valuable tip is to create value for them. At a recent networking event I brought along a bunch of books that related to entrepreneurship and they served as a great talking point. I even gave one out with my contact information for a more personalized way for someone to remember me.