I attended the Big Breakfast Business Networking event in association with IKEA intended to reach out to local businesses and create connections that can become either potential partnerships or potential customers. I must admit it did just that! I went home with nearly 15 business cards of potential businesses that I was either planning to work with or offer a service to. With the majority of events you may attend you come home with a huge potential list but it seems to die out and never sparks, then 2 weeks later you realise they weren’t potential after all. Well on the contrary, over 5 of the businesses have continued to keep in contact. I have a Skype call arranged with one coming soon and have sent business pitches to 2 just this week elaborating on how I could benefit their company.
So what was it like?
Extremely enjoyable! The speed networking was very nerve-wrecking at first but by the 3rd person your pitch adapts and you become more relaxed. The idea is that you pitch your business whilst keeping in mind how you can benefit the company your talking to. This is an art which feels impossible to master but after a few rounds you learn to pay attention to detail and also the value of convenient speech.
Three reasons why I would recommend attending one of these events around London are to;
1) Create reliable business connections
2) Learn about local business needs and expectations
3) Enhance your ability to convince and persuade potential clients
Three tips or tricks I would give for a newbie are to;
1) Prepare your business pitch but be ready to adapt to meet the needs of different businesses you speak to
2) Do a quick glance over the business representative/owners business card before speaking, this gives you a moment to think about how to effectively vary your pitch
3) RELAX! The more you stress about doing it right, the worse it will be. Relax and be confident about your business/service or product. Remember that you may not be able to benefit the person directly but may be of some help to their contacts or cliental.
So you’re mentally ready to attend! What do you need to bring?
Big Breakfast ensures all resources are given to you and it all comes in a handy slip folder. They have pens available and paper to write down contact information; they provide score sheets and a printed contact form of all businesses involved. Many mentioned that before meeting me they anticipated what ‘Another Fly on the Wall’ did. Therefore I think the contact information sheet was in a way a really good ‘interest stirrer’ for me. So what do you bring?
1) Your business cards – This is to hand to businesses that you want to keep in contact with and also to add to the prize draw. Without it you have no chance of winning. Tip: Bring Loads! I ran out as I only brought 10. Silly me!
2) Bring a smile! Remember you are ambassadors for your business; no one wants to do business with Mr/Mrs Miserable!
I’m a business promoter and can’t help but promote some of the companies I have had the privilege to meet. So check out some of the links below!
White Label – Marketing, PR, Communication and Event Managing
Assembly Angels – Beautiful innovative design & expert home and business product installation
Wellbeing4U – Exclusive & beneficial wellness products
Vision Virtual Assistant – Professional and business support services
Check out the Photos on our Flickr PhotoStream
Another Fly On The Wall 